


What Should Have Been

by Kumikoko



Category: Dragon Quest Builders (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Ending, Drama & Romance, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friendship/Love, Fuck Moonbrooke, Malroth is Precious, Spoilers, Swearing, Whoever said good guys don't kill, burn it all to the ground, divergence from canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-18 12:13:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 27,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28991991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kumikoko/pseuds/Kumikoko
Summary: “Ember, you’re here!” Malroth exclaimed, scrambling to the cell door to give her a piece of his mind.“I promised…” Ember began, pale skinned and breathless. “I’d come for you.”He watched her as she approached the cell, gripping a key in one hand and a bloodied sword in the other. “What did you do?”“I killed her,” Ember answered as she tossed the key, then sheathed her sword. “Now stand back.” She commanded, heaving her hammer over her head.Malroth jumped out of the way and clasped his hands over his ears as the metal of the hammer collided with the steel bars of the cell. Shards of metal pierced through the air, yet his gaze remained focused on the warrior woman who he had considered his best friend from the moment he had pulled her out of the ocean.His eyes filled with delight as she smashed the accursed cell to smithereens before him. He noted her hardened expression and the sweat that glistened on her pale skin. Her body was trembling from the exertion, yet she smashed every inch of steel that had caged him in.In that one moment Malroth saw her in a new light.One that left him breathless.
Relationships: Female Builder/Malroth (Dragon Quest Builders 2)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 20





	1. MoonBrooke: The Acurrsed land

**Author's Note:**

> Read the Tags, People  
> Moonbrooke. Oh, Moonbroke...  
> I hate Moonbrooke.  
> More then that, I hate how the builder was portrayed in the video game, as, doing nothing. (s)he did absolutely nothing when Malroth was thrown in the cell that (s)he built for the godforsaken Moonbrookians. (s)he really did betray Malroth, and I, as a writer, can not accept that.  
> I have to at least try to write what should have been.  
> I also have to mention that firstly, yes, I'm alive, and secondly, I've never been broken up with so hard before in my entire life and the worst part about it, maybe, is that I am completely and totally on Malroth's side.  
> So, as a writer, I will try to write a heroine who actually deserves to be in Malroth's presence.  
> And, I sure hope other people will enjoy this story, if for no other reason then I am finally saying what needs to be said because I just can't let this go.  
> Now to begin, as you might have read from the summery, what occurs in the summery has yet to occur in the story. It's like some of the young adult novels I read where the summery is some dramatic thing of, "I finally realized he was my soul mate when I stabbed him through the heart with his own blade, and realized neither of us could have escaped our destiny," or some crap like that.  
> It is catchy, and inspires us to read the book anyways and then I-, well, anyways, Moonbrooke.  
> Can we make Moonbrooke a new swear word? Or a word we just don't use because of its negative, offensive connotations?  
> I'm really choked up about all of this, and I need a Malroth plushie. Anyone got any ideas as to where I can find and purchase one? My usual deviant art gal must be busy because she hasn't gotten back to me yet and I need Malroth in my life. My poor, baby Malroth.  
> On a side note I named the female builder Ember and gave her red hair. However, you can envision her how you choose.  
> I do NOT own Dragon Quest, I do NOT own the characters and am simply writing about them in a fictional setting, and seek no financial payment. None. I write only for fun.

“Ember, you’re here!” Malroth exclaimed, scrambling to the cell door to give her a piece of his mind.

“I promised…” Ember began, pale skinned and breathless. “I’d come for you.”

He watched her as she approached the cell, gripping a key in one hand and a bloodied sword in the other. “What did you do?”

“I killed her,” Ember answered as she tossed the key, then sheathed her sword. “Now stand back.” She commanded, heaving her hammer over her head.

Malroth jumped out of the way and clasped his hands over his ears as the metal of the hammer collided with the steel bars of the cell. Shards of metal pierced through the air, yet his gaze remained focused on the warrior woman who he had considered his best friend from the moment he had pulled her out of the ocean.

His eyes filled with delight as she smashed the accursed cell to smithereens before him. He noted her hardened expression and the sweat that glistened on her pale skin. Her body was trembling from the exertion, yet she smashed every inch of steel that had caged him in.

In that one moment Malroth saw her in a new light.

One that left him breathless.

Chapter 1: The Accursed Land

Moonbrooke, the war-torn country where fighting never ceased was their next destination. Ember exited their tight sleeping quarters and stepped onto the deck. She stretched her arms out above her and yawned, having not a care in the world.

A chill in the air made her shiver and rub her arms. She noticed the dark clouds in the sky, then peered towards the horizon and saw the faint outline of a country.

“With any luck,” Captain Brownbeard began, catching their attention “We will dock before the snow storm welcomes us.”

“Snow storm?” Malroth repeated, then caught sight of Ember and hopped down from the edge of the ship. “You’re finally awake.”

“Aye, an ill wind is brewing,” Captain Brownbeard answered, his face grave as he stared at the horizon. “We should dress warm lest we are to freeze.”

“Morning,” Ember greeted, smiling sleepily as she approached Malroth. She stopped in her approach, noticing he was shivering. “How long have you been awake?”

He recognized her concerned expression immediately and sighed, throwing his arms into the air. “Ah, I don’t know…awhile.” Malroth responded defensively, resting his hands on the back of his head. He squirmed under her scrutinizing gaze and in a dismissive leave-me-alone huff he said, “Night is when the Mer-monsters try to push boats over and I whack them back into the ocean with my club.”

“I thought I heard a commotion outside last night.” Captain Brownbeard muttered, recalling the harsh rocking of the boat and the whacking noises he had heard during the late hours of the twilight. A sharp warning look from Malroth shut him up quick.

“I’ll take over guard duty until we arrive in Moonbrooke,” Ember said, smiling again. “You can nap assured I am capable of handling myself.”

Malroth stared at her dopey, innocent expression and felt a sense of doom come over him. He opened his mouth to object, but then felt another strong gust of wind that chilled his bones and made his teeth chatter. “I’ll just lie down for a little while.”

A larger grin spread across Ember’s face, one that warmed him for just a moment. He headed for the cabin, then stopped and looked back at her. “What is a snow-storm anyways?”

“You’ll find out today, young’in!” Captain Brownbeard crowed from where he manned the wheel.

“I wasn’t talking to you.” Malroth grumbled, folding his arms across his chest.

“It’s not a monster,” Ember responded, alleviating the worry that was etched onto Malroth’s face. “A snowstorm is just frozen rain and strong, cold winds that make us shiver.”

“Hm.” Malroth mused, trying to envision her description as he retreated into the cabin. He laid down, having no intention of falling asleep, not while knowing Ember was on guard duty. His hands reached for the thin blanket and pulled it over his trembling body.

There was little warmth to be gained from it. He turned over onto his side and snatched the blanket Ember had been using previously. To his appreciation he could feel warmth emanating from it. That was one thing he could count on Ember for—being warm.

It was something he had noticed from the first time he had grabbed her hand, and any time since when they would high-five each other. She was warm. And happy. Too happy. Always happy and unbearingly enthusiastic. _Like a mini sun_. He thought, content with their differences as he curled his legs against his body.

The next thing he knew was he was being jarred awake by the sound of Ember cheering and whooping for joy. He scrambled out of bed, startled that he had fallen asleep in the first place. Her loud voice alerted him that they had arrived at their destination. He grabbed his club and hurried outside, ready to bash new monster skulls.

As soon as she spotted him, she rushed to him and began pulling at his arm. “Come on, Malroth!” She urged, smiling excitedly. “Let’s go!”

“Ack!” Malroth gasped, stumbling after her. “I’m coming, I’m coming, just stop pulling me already!”

“Bye kids,” Captain Brownbeard called after them. “I’m sailing out before the storm hits!”

“Ah just think about it!” Ember squealed, pulling him towards the new land. “The fish, the plants, the new building materials!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Malroth muttered, having accepted his fate to be dragged off the ship. “You’re insufferably peppy, as usual I see.”

“Oh, but first we should find a monster that has a lot of fur so I can make us warm clothes and blankets!” Ember continued on, just as excitedly, and as if he hadn’t grumbled at her. “And oh, the snow!”

The moment their shoes crunched the snow underneath them she let out another excited squeal. “Ugh,” Malroth grumbled, placing a hand over his ear. “You’re so loud sometimes.”

“It’s snow!” Ember chirped, letting him go so she could scoop up some snow in her hands. She then, to Malroth’s bewilderment, ate the snow.

“Is there anything you won’t eat?” Malroth asked, raising an eyebrow at her as he folded his arms across his chest.

“Mmm, snow is fun to eat.” Ember responded, scooping up more snow into the trembling palms of her hand. “Here, try it!” She insisted, offering the snow to him.

Malroth hesitated, remembering the poisonous cake Lulu had given them when they arrived home from Skeletraz. _I trust Ember_. He decided, reluctantly letting her drop the snow into the palm of his hands. “Ugh, why does it make my hands shake and feel weird!?”

“Stop complaining,” Ember laughed, amused by his reaction. “The snow is just a little cold, that’s all!”

“Nothing is ever a problem for you, is it?” Malroth muttered, shaking his head. He noticed the way her smile disappeared and recognized the haunted expression that befell her face. It was one he knew from their time in Skeletraz, and from the days that had followed.

It had dawned on him awhile ago that she wasn’t completely over their imprisonment. He could see that was still true even now and instantly regretted his comment.

She seemed to notice his eyes were still fixated on her because she forced a large smile onto her face, as if to assure him that she was fine.

“This uh, is melting a little so I guess I’ll just hurry and eat it,” Malroth said, and shoved the snow into his mouth. He discovered the snow was crunchy, and to his dismay, cold. Yet, he forced a smile onto his own face. “You’re right, eating snow is fun!”

A genuine smile spread across Ember’s face. Malroth relaxed, appreciating her naivety and easy-going nature. She was safe, and fun to be around.

“Oh, I know!” Ember exclaimed as she knelt down and cupped more snow into her hands. “Let’s have a snowball fight!”

“A fight?” Malroth repeated, becoming excited at the prospect of violence. “I’m so down for that but why are you playing with snow? Come on and grab your sword already!”

“Not a real fight,” Ember said as she packed the snow into a neat little ball. She rose to her feet and raised her arm, poised to strike. “A snowball fight, silly!” Ember clarified, then threw the snowball at him.

“Huh!?” Malroth gasped and tried to duck, but the snowball splattered into his face. Stunned and confused, he could only twitch his hands while she ran away laughing.

Once he recovered he clenched his hands into fists and yelled after her, “Fine! If you want to throw snow at me, I’ll throw it back at you!” Malroth leaned down and grabbed large fistfuls of snow to chase after her with. His throw was strong, but the unpacked snow fluttered harmlessly to the ground.

“You have to pack the snow into balls!” Ember called back to him, and bent down to make another snowball in with to pelt him with. She threw it, and this time the snowball smacked into his head, splattering his dark hair with bright white snow.

“Agh!” Malroth groaned, shaking the snow out of his hair. “I’m going to get you for that!” He swore, chasing after her once he had gathered more snow into his hands.

The art of packing snow into a ball was more infuriating for him then it was fun at first, but once he watched her roll and crunch the snow in her tiny hands he was able to make snowballs of his own, and albeit them being sloppy, they did catch air.

Ember was sprightly and quick as she lept and ducked away from the snowballs he threw. She was agile leapt around the snow with the grace of a springy gazelle, laughing all the while.

Her laughter must have been infectious because Malroth began to laugh too. They chased each other around the quiet, snowy dock as they threw snowballs at each other, making a game of it. Malroth threw another snowball and cheered when it finally hit her.

But to his surprise she plummeted onto the ground, letting out a startled squeak. He stopped laughing and rushed to her side. “Are you alright?” Malroth asked, concerned as he outstretched his hand to help her up. “Did you trip?”

“You throw hard,” Ember responded, panting as hard as he was. She took his hand, and felt how cold, yet firm it was. “But I’m okay.”

“Sorry,” Malroth apologized, pulling her to her feet. “Sometimes I don’t know my own strength.”

“I’m okay, really.” Ember insisted, smiling sweetly at him. “I’m having a lot of fun with you, and I’m excited to explore this world with you at my side, super strength and all.” She said, folding her arms behind her head.

“Yeah, hey, I’m not even, what is that word again?” Malroth paused for a moment, then continued. “Cold, I’m not cold anymore, so let’s do this. Together!”

“That’s the spirit!” Ember cheered, hopping up and down energetically.

“H-hey!” A unfamiliar voice called from the distance, making them both become alert. “Are you humans?”

Malroth spotted a young man in the distance and immediately stepped in front of Ember and reached back for his club.

“Wait,” Ember whispered to Malroth, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I don’t think he intends to harm us—he has a soft face.”

“I—I could use your help if you are!” The man said, hurrying down the cliffs towards them.

“His eyes are tiny,” Malroth argued, standing his ground as her fierce and loyal protector. “And he looks like another chump.”

“And everyone always says you look scary, but I know you’re kind so hush already and lets hear him out.” Ember insisted, pursuing the issue until Malroth sighed and lowered his club.

“Ugh, fine,” He grumbled, then focused his attention on to the quickly approaching man. “What do you want from us?”

“That hammer—” The man said, pointing to the hammer that was strapped to Ember’s back. “You’re builders!?”

“Uh, not I.” Malroth dismissed, shaking his head as he put his arms up.

“Me, I am.” Ember answered, grinning from ear to ear. “A builder, that is. I am a builder and Malroth—” She paused to hug onto his arm proudly. “Malroth bashes monster skulls in so I can build to my hearts content!”

“Agh,” Malroth groaned, “You’re touching me again.”

The man stopped and studied them for a moment before he deigned to speak again. “A builder and a monster masher is just who I need—or more specifically, my King.”

“Your king?” Ember asked, tilting her head to the side. Her long, red hair draped over Malroth’s arm and tickled it, making him squirm. “I don’t think we’ve met a king before so I’d be happy to help and I know Malroth will too if there are monsters he can whack around!”

“Come along with me, I’ll explain everything on the way.” The man told them and then headed towards the cliff he had descended from. “My name is Warrick, by the way.”

“Ember, at your service!” Ember piped up and hurried after him, all to eager to pursue another thrilling adventure.

Behind them, Malroth hesitated. He felt something was amiss but he couldn’t place what or whom he was unsettled by and looked around. Evil lurked on this land and it seemed to come at him from all directions, calling him over. His hand twitched towards his club as the desire to destroy came over him.

“Malroth, are you coming?” He heard Ember call for him and ran after her, choosing to ignore his gut feeling.

As they followed Warrick he informed them of Moonbrooke’s dire situation. A war that never ends appealed to Malroth, but he had to question who exactly the Moonbrookian’s were fighting because it seemed apparent that they all firmly believed in the Children of Hargon. He noticed that even here Ember did not ask questions, nor did she seem bothered by the dark pulsations that occurred every so often, as if they simply bounced off of her.

They were brought to the King of Moonbrooke. Ember bowed immediately, following Warrick’s lead. Malroth remained standing until she pulled him to the ground, insisting he should be respectful.

“I bow for no king.” Malroth hissed at her, his tone hushed as he pulled away and stood back up to dust the snow off of his body.

“Be that as it may, I’m not much of a king out here.” The King said, gesturing to the stone walls that kept the cold wind at bay. “As much as I would like my throne room to be re-built, I must insist that my general here, Anessa, be given an antidotal herb.”

“That’s easy to make,” Ember grinned, brimming with confidence. She turned her attention to Malroth. “While I gather the necessary materials for the antidotal herb, can you search for any furry monsters to bring back here so I can then start on making us all something warm to wear?”

“You don’t even have to ask.” Malroth agreed, smirking as he ran off into the wild to hunt for monsters to bash.

Bashing monster skulls was the one thing Malroth was good at, and one he enjoyed doing, maybe a little too much. He found a couple of spiked hares in the wild that he took his club to their skulls.

_Knowing Ember, she can use their horns and claws for materials in which to build with too_. Malroth thought as he slung another corpse over his shoulder. He had gathered five of them and figured they would be a good starting point for now, since she didn’t specify a number.

When he returned, he saw Ember had returned and was already crushing up the herbs she needed in which to make an antidote. He unceremoniously dropped the mangled bunnies next to her, which made her squeak.

“Eek!” Ember squealed, shying away from the bunny corpses. “Could you not find larger, harrier monsters?”

“Those exist deeper within the mountains.” Warrick spoke up, folding his arms across his chest.

“My gosh, my boy,” The King gasped, “Have you no mercy for bunnies?”

“Hey, they are furry and plentiful, what is the problem?” Malroth defended, setting a hand on his hip.

“Thank you,” Ember said, choosing to acknowledge his effort instead of continuing to criticizing him. “I’ll make them work, into a sweater, maybe.”

“Does that mean I get to go bash more monsters?” Malroth asked, his eyes lighting up with delight at the prospect.

“Well, for now, I guess, yes.” Ember answered reluctantly, bothered by the idea of more bunnies being put to the slaughter for their survival capacity.

“Yeah!” Malroth whooped, throwing his arms up with joy. He began to leave but stopped, realizing if he left now, she would be alone with people they didn’t know. “I,” He started, trying to restrain his impulsive desire to bash bunnies. “I better stay here for now, that wind is getting stronger.”

It pained him to stay, but ever since Warrick arrived, Malroth didn’t feel right about this place, not for Ember’s sake, anyways. There was something, or someone who was dangerous—not to him, he was never concerned for his own safety, but Ember? She was fucking delicate, and in a country where war never slept, he knew only that he wouldn’t be getting a lot of sleep.

Within moments Ember finished concocting the antidotal herb and had administered it to Anessa. Anessa recovered and once introductions were finished, they made their way to the dilapidated castle. The sweater would have to wait because out in the wilderness they knew they wouldn’t survive the snowstorm, nor the monsters who lurked nearby. They had to take the castle back, a feat that began with the throne room. Malroth made the mission easy because he thrived most during battle, something that did not go unnoticed by Anessa and Warrick who fought like proper castle soldiers. Swift and deadly they were, but not messily nor wildly so as Malroth was.

As soon as the throne room was theirs, Ember turned her attention to building them a door the monsters wouldn’t be able to bash through easily. There was no roof over their heads, but the walls did shield them from some of the wind’s bite.

Now was when Ember set to work with skinning the rabbits to take their fur. She knew Malroth could have helped her, but he didn’t have a careful touch. With what little time they had before the storm came in and the day was over, she knew she couldn’t risk having him damage one of the pelts. She worked with a trusty needle and some thread to make a single sweater, and as she worked, Malroth paced the confines of the small room impatiently.

“It’s fucking cold,” Malroth complained, rubbing his arms fervently. “How does anyone live here!?”

“Such sailor talk is forbidden in my throne room!” The King scolded him, from where he sat on his disfigured throne.

“This is Malroth’s first time being in cold weather,” Ember told them as she worked to fashion a sweater out of what materials she had. “He’s never had to adapt to it before, or acclimate.” She remembered their time in Khrum Bul, when he was exposed to the heat of a desert day and later, the fires of hell. Malroth had complained the whole time, and he, she knew, was only just beginning to complain now about the cold.

“Ah, I guess the cold is all we know so we don’t think about it too much.” Warrick said, leaning against the cold stone wall.

“A soldier does not complain.” Anessa spoke up, her eyes hard with judgement.

“It’s too cramped in here,” Malroth said, making a beeline for the door. “I’m going to find more spiked hares.”

“Wait,” Ember called after him, and when he turned to look back at her, she tossed him the sweater. “Take that with you.”

“You made this for me?” Malroth questioned, surprised as he caught the sweater and looked at it. The unassuming sweater was probably the ugliest thing Malroth had ever seen in his life, yet he pulled it over his head. “Thanks!” He grinned, then left quickly.

“Will your friend be alright out there by himself?” Anessa questioned, raising her eyebrow.

“He is happier out in the wild because he hates to be cooped up anywhere,” Ember answered, sitting back against the wall. “I am confident he will return, and that he will be in a better mood too because had he stayed here, he would have became cranky.”

“And you don’t consider his complaining to have been a result of a cranky mood already?” Warrick asked, mimicking Anessa’s questioning expression.

“Not at all,” Ember responded, shaking her head. “He’s been in a really good mood all day, and I suspect this outing will be therapeutic for him.”

“Right, well,” The King began, clearing his throat, “Maybe now you have enough room in here to work on repairing my throne to its former glory.”

“Or at least disposing of those smelly rabbits.” Warrick muttered, clasping a hand over his nose.

“Those left overs will be our dinner tonight.” Ember told them as she pulled her large book off of her back to flip through it for inspiration as to how she should, or could repair the kings throne.

There was a lot of work to do even as the sun fell behind the mountains. Ember worked late into the night, having already repaired the throne, made them all dinner—something Malroth enjoyed greatly—and had even made beds for them out of plant material she had stowed away in her bag. Now she was attempting to finish the sweaters which had been put on the back-burner of priorities.

Outside the wind was howling and the snow was coming down hard unto them. A roof was a dire need, but without the necessary materials, and the lack of energy, the roof would have to wait for tomorrow. The fire she had made would not stay lit no matter how hard she had tried to keep it going so she had given up on that and just focused on piecing the sweaters together.

Her hands were shaking and they kept becoming numb which made the process of stitching sweaters together almost impossible. By this point, everyone but her had a sweater—she was like that, always giving to others before building things for herself.

The King, Anessa and Warrick were asleep and even Malroth had laid down, to, ‘rest his eyes.’ She knew, however, by the chattering of his teeth, and his quick breaths that he was not asleep yet. Ember took comfort in his conscious presence, knowing she was not alone and that if a monster should break the door down, Malroth would jump up and protect them all.

Near the early hours of the twilight she heard Malroth stir, but continued to work on her sweater, figuring he either wanted to stretch his legs out, or use the chamber pot.

“You’re still awake?” Malroth questioned, plopping down beside her. He noticed her pale hands were trembling, and frowned when she stopped to rub them together. “I thought you’d be done by now.”

“My hands are becoming numb and stiff,” Ember answered, shaking her hands in another attempt to restore feeling to them. “It’s so cold, I just…I don’t know what I’m going to do.” She admitted, tears brimming the corners of her eyes.

He heard the frustration in her tone and saw the tears freezing over onto her dark eyelashes. Whenever she acted like this, he had a strong desire to help her. Building was out of the question which made him wonder what else he could do to calm her down.

“Here,” Malroth said as he pulled his sweater off. “You can wear it until you finish yours, and then you have to give it back to me because I’m cold too.”

“I’ll give it back as soon as I’m done with mine,” Ember said, taking the sweater from him to pull it over her . She then thanked him with one of her sweet smiles. “I appreciate you.”

“Is that uh, a good thing?” Malroth asked, squirming at the sight of her sweet smile that always made him feel a way he couldn’t name. He folded his legs underneath him and clasped his hands together, becoming self-conscious under the blinding light of her smile.

“Of course,” Ember answered, adjusting the too large sweater on her. She could feel the left over warmth from Malroth’s body lingering on the shirt and pressed it closer to her heart. “You have a kind heart. I love that about you.”

“I’m not all that great, you know…” Malroth muttered, becoming uneasy by her affectionate praise of him because he didn’t know how to respond to it. It wasn’t like she was worshiping him, nor was she bowing down to him.

In fact, he suspected she held him on an entirely different pedestal, one he didn’t know how to live up to especially in quiet, tender moments like this one. He fiddled with his hands nervously, thinking about the voice that all too often whispered destruction to him.

If she knew just how much he desired destroying everything around him, would she still look at him the same way? He bit his bottom lip and decided he would never admit to her he was plagued a sinister voice that encouraged him to fuck shit up.

“I like you the way you are.” Ember said, smiling reassuringly at him as she continued to try to warm her hands enough to re-gain flexibility within her fingers.

“I…I like you too, dopey grin and all.” Malroth stammered, finding the courage within himself to edge a little closer to her. “Let me uh, help.” He reached around her then and clasped his hands over hers, wanting to help her resume building.

His kind gesture was appreciated, evident by another grateful smile that was sent his way.

“If you come behind me, we can stay warmer.” Ember suggested, seeing the way he was trembling from the cold too.

“Like…like this?” Malroth asked as he repositioned himself behind her, maintaining a slim distance between them.

“No, like this.” Ember said, leaning back against him. She felt him tense, and heard him suck in a sharp breath. “It’s called ‘body warmth,’ and it is contagious when people lay together.”

“Mhm…” Was all Malroth could say as his face flushed red, and his heart began to beat wildly within his chest. He had never been this close to her before, or anybody, for that matter, which made him feel a surge of warmth flood through him.

He wasn’t cold anymore as he sat rigidly, with her petite body against his own. His skin flushed hot and he began to sweat and tremble, but not from the chill of the wind. “Am I…supposed to feel hot?” Malroth finally managed to ask as she relaxed against him, seeming to not be bothered by their close proximity to each other.

“Yes,” Ember answered, busily working on the sweater again. “Though I’m still rather cold. How are you warm already?”

“I’m, I’m not,” Malroth lied, feeling pressured to not be different then her. “I’m cold too, I was uh, just, you know, asking a question was all…”

“Are you alright?” Ember questioned, though she didn’t look back at him—something he was grateful for as she nestled against him, between his thighs to lay her back against his sturdy chest. “Your voice sounds higher, and your hands feel clammy against my wrists.”

“Y-yeah, I’m fine,” Malroth stammered and pulled his shaking hands away. He cleared his throat and squirmed. “Just, ah, please don’t move so much. It’s…it’s making me feel weird.”

Something must have dawned on her because she pulled away from him quickly and began to apologize repeatedly, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to…to…”

“To what?” Malroth asked, becoming curious as to why she was becoming flustered all of a sudden.

“Ugh, just shut up and go to sleep already!” Warrick complained, pressing a hand over his ear. His sharp tone silenced both of them, who much preferred to drop the issue—whatever the obvious issue was, then to continue to address it in stammers and awkward comments.

When Ember was finished with the sweater, she pulled Malroth’s sweater off from her body and reached it back to him, still refusing to look at him. Her face was still red, leaving Malroth to wonder if he had angered her.

He watched her pull the new sweater over her body and then roll over onto one of the grass beds she had made. She didn’t even say goodnight, which he thought was weird, but he dared not break the silence that had came over them.

What he knew was that he could breath again, and that the cold had settled into his bones again. As he laid down and shivered in the bed he wished Ember would press up against him because even though he had been insufferably hot and bothered, he preferred those conflicting, confusing feelings to the biting cold that thrummed through him now.

Despite of the snow storm that howled through the night, they endured. As the morning sun broke through the storm clouds, Malroth was the first one awake, and was already pacing back and forth to shake the cold off.

Another hour passed by before the Moonbrookian’s were awake and began to discuss their next move with serious debate. Malroth tuned out their plans that didn’t involve bashing skulls and considered, again, leaving the confines of the throne room to whack some monsters around, just to warm up, but he again didn’t feel right about leaving Ember alone while she slept.

When the sun rose a little higher, the conversation took a new direction.

“We’re going to have to wake her up apparently,” Anessa said, folding her arms across her chest. “Lest she sleep the whole morning away.”

“She is the key to taking back the bell room, and to providing us with better materials in which to weather this never ending winter war.” The King agreed, ready to have Ember be woken up.

Warrick stepped towards Ember. “It’ll just take me a minute to—”

Malroth stepped in front of Ember, blocking Warrick’s path. “Touch her and die.”

“We just want to wake her up.” Warrick said, raising his hands in surrender.

“She was up late into the night, freezing, trying to put together a sweater for herself after appeasing all of your ridiculous demands,” Malroth said, refusing to budge from his protective stance and hardened expression. “You all will let her sleep .” 

“Ngh…” Ember groaned, rolling over to rub the sleep out of her eyes. “What’s going on, Malroth? You sound angry.” She said, stretching her arms out.

No one said a goddamn word. They just stared at Malroth, recognizing his ominous words as a promise, not a warning.

“Nothing.” Malroth sighed, lowering his club. He sent the Moonbrookian’s a look they all shied away from.

“Well, being you’re awake now—” The King began, then flinched another look Malroth sent his way, before continuing on. “We have a lot to do and so little time in which to do it.”

“We were discussing,” Warrick began, then met Malroth’s gaze evenly, “Before your friend was rude to us, that, our first priority is retaking the bell room and to do that, you need to gather castle blocks from the surrounding area.”

“You were rude to them?” Ember asked, turning to Malroth with surprise, and confusion on her face.

Malroth simply scoffed and folded his arms across his chest. He made a mental note that Warrick wasn’t as scared of him as the others were, and that could prove problematic if they were to stay cooped up in the tiny throne room for a long period of time.

“Scary, and hostile even.” Anessa piped in, standing next to Warrick.

“It’s too early in the morning to have discord amongst us,” The King said, gesturing for them to stand down. “What we need is to unite and retake the bell room by any means necessary.”

“I agree,” Ember said, knowing Malroth detested small, tight spaces he couldn’t effectively fight or stretch out in and needed to have a place to properly pace around. “But first, I need gloves.” She stood up and turned her attention to her best friend. “Will you bring me back some more spiked hares? I can make gloves with their fur for all of us, and we can eat them for breakfast too.”

“Yeah,” Malroth agreed immediately, wanting to take his anger out on something—anything that was not Warrick’s face, or Anessa’s, and only because Ember was around. He knew she didn’t like when people fought each other around her, and after a physical confrontation he had with Bonanzo awhile back over him making an executive order to allow monsters to live on the island of Awakening without adhering to anyone else’s input—monsters who later came back to kidnap them to Skeletraz, he promised Ember he wouldn’t fight with anyone ever again in front of her. “I’m out.”

Once Malroth left, Ember began drawing up a tiny blueprint in her book in which to restore the bell room into a functional room they could walk around in, and take shelter. She listened to the other plans the Moonbrookian’s had for her and considered each one, weighing the priority and urgency of the requests.

To stretch out and retake the castle the Bell room was definitely first on the Castle’s objective list. On her list of priorities for survival, gloves and breakfast were first so as soon as Malroth returned with spiked hares hung over his broad shoulders, she turned the rabbit meat into food and set other useful parts aside for later.

Nails and bones always came in handy in a pinch when they were in the wild so she pocketed them. The breakfast, albeit bland, was warm and filled their stomachs—well, all except Malroth who was always hungry.

Even back on the island of Awakening with the farmers growing crops and the ranchers raising cattle, there never seemed to be enough food for Malroth to be satisfied with. His overwhelming superhero strength came at a price, one Ember hoped to be able to meet someday.

For now she was just grateful that he wasn’t complaining about being hungry, even though she knew he was. The rabbit meat for him was just a snack. And once breakfast was over with she busied herself with making a pair of gloves for everyone.

Only, this time Malroth insisted she take the first pair of gloves so she could keep making them at a good speed. No one opposed this since the faster she finished making gloves, the faster their own requests would be started on.

“Now that we are all equipped with warm gloves, we can take the bell room back.” Warrick said, leading the conversation. “While Ember is gathering the necessary materials we’ll keep the monsters away from her.”

“I’ll keep the monsters away from her.” Malroth clarified, folding his arms across his chest.

“A unit only succeeds if they fight as one, not as individuals.” Anessa said, setting a hand on her hip. “You need to trust us, and let us protect Ember too.”

“I don’t need to do anything.” Malroth stated, standing tall.

“Stop.” Ember requested, setting a hand on his shoulder. “They just want to help. Please let them.”

Malroth sighed and left the room, heading to the pile of castle debris Warrick had mentioned earlier.

“He’s not used to fighting alongside anyone except for me,” Ember told them, hoping they would understand that Malroth wasn’t as difficult to be around as he was pretending to be. “Please try to give him space enough to let him adjust.”

Anessa stepped forwards, grabbing her arm. “If he…if he has you captive in some way—”

“It’s not like that at all,” Ember said, shaking her head as she pulled away from Anessa. “I journey with him because he is my best friend. He would never harm me, nor anyone else.” She paused, thinking briefly about Bonanzo, then decided to not hold Malroth accountable because that bastard deserved the clubbing he got.

Who the fuck did he think he was, making an executive decision while she was away with Malroth, trapped on Skeletraz? She had made it very clear from the beginning that any time she left the island with Malroth that Lulu was in charge—more because Lulu wouldn’t accept any other role anyways, but also because, while Lulu was insufferably bossy, she knew how to occasionally make good decisions for her people.

Excluding her attempt to poison them with that thing she called cake…

“If you say so.” Anessa said, folding her arms across her chest. She then exited the throne room and was followed by Warrick.

Ember was the last to follow as she thought of Lulu and her other friends who stayed back on the island. She followed them to the pile of old castle blocks and began to break off the bits and pieces she thought she could use to re-build the bell room.

Within minutes of her smashing blocks up a hoard of monsters charged towards them. Malroth was the first to charge the monsters, swinging his club at them with reckless abandon to his own life, and those who fought around him. His attacks were devastating—so devastating that Anessa and Warrick became conscious about how close, or far away from him they were to avoid being hit by friendly fire.

All the while, Ember collected the blocks she needed, confident Malroth would protect her. She didn’t flinch when he jumped to her defense and sent a monster flying, who had been poised to strike her.

By the end of the day, the bell room was completed. It was a small victory, but one that caused them all to rejoice. Malroth had a room he could pace in, Ember had a room she could build safely in and ring a bell when she noticed it was pulsating with light. It was still dull, which made them turn their attention to an abandoned potato field.

“We’ll take the potato field back tomorrow,” The King declared from his still disfigured throne. “For now we may rest until the sun rises again.”

There was no real relaxing, however, because dinner had to be caught and made, in the form of more rabbits, whose pelts Ember again spent most of the night fashioning into a single blanket. She knew Malroth had passed out awhile ago. He had fought long and hard today, on too little food and sleep.

Neither of which he complained about.

_He’s so good to me_. Ember thought as she draped the fur blanket over Malroth. He deserved the blanket, without question. She then settled down on her grass bed and slept, until the late hours of the morning, again.

When she awoke, she stretched out, feeling warm and refreshed. It took her a minute to realize the blanket she made last night had been draped over her. She sat up and looked around for Malroth immediately, spotting him leaning against the door.

“Morning,” She greeted, placing the blanket back on his bed. “I thought I gave the blanket to you last night.”

“I didn’t need it,” Malroth said, trying to rub the cold off of his arms. “But thanks anyways.”

“I sure could have used a blanket last night,” Warrick spoke up, standing at one side of the king while Anessa stood on the other. “Especially if you were the one who made it for me.” He flashed Ember a smile that made Malroth clench his hands into fists.

“Don’t tease her,” Anessa told him, letting out a giggle. “She’s already spoken for.”

“Shut up,” Malroth griped, having half of a mind to smack her upside the head, and then punch Warrick’s lights out, except for the fact that one, Ember once told him it wasn’t polite to hit women, no matter how insufferable they were, and that hitting teammates was unkind. “I just figured she needed the blanket more then I did last night. It’s not like I didn’t appreciate her gift to me.”

“Calm down and listen,” The King interrupted their quarreling, “We must focus on reclaiming our potato field if we are to have a reliable source of food and now that our resident builder has awakened, we can begin with the day, unobstructed.”

“Let’s focus on reclaiming the potato field.” Ember agreed, concerned Malroth had been confined to the room for too long again and must be itching for a fight. At this point, she figured skipping breakfast and focusing on a high priority objective would release everyone’s tension.

With no further lingering, they grabbed their weapons and went outside. To clear the snow out, whilst being attacked consistently by monsters made the reclaiming and building process take longer then they had expected it would. And once the potato room was secured, they harvested the potatoes for Ember to roast over the fire.

Malroth had brought in some more spiked hares in which they could eat alongside the potatoes. The animals sacrifice was important to their survival, and Malroth’s sanity. He liked fighting monsters—even the cute, innocent ones, which unnerved Anessa enough confront him about it after dinner.

It was a small quarrel that Ember interrupted, standing between them. She had managed to persuade them both to sit down and drop the subject. When they sat down Ember began working on another blanket.

Since rabbit fur didn’t stretch much, nor was it thick, she managed to churn out two blankets within the night that provided minimal cold protection. One she gave to the King, the other Malroth encouraged her to keep, a sentiment that was echoed by Warrick, because without her building prowess, they would never reclaim the castle.

The following two days were spent with Ember building roofs for the small throne room and the bell tower. It was laborious work, yet she didn’t complain and somehow, through it all, she kept a smile on her face. Malroth often sat up somewhere high to watch over her, and to keep a look-out for re-occurring monster hoards. Each time they showed up, Malroth rushed to greet them with his club and had most of them finished off before Anessa or Warrick could even arrive to help him.

Almost as if he was trying to show off his superior strength, but to them, or Ember, his message wasn’t quite clear.

On day four Ember requested more rabbits in which she could spend the day making blankets and other warm clothes. Malroth had no problem spending the day bashing spiked hares up by the dozen, as he could find them and catch them. They made a great team, and by the end of the day there was enough blankets for everyone to sleep with, and they all had warm pants to wear over their regular clothes.

Night approached, and left just as quick, giving way to the morning.

Their objective: Ring the bell.


	2. Battle Scars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bored Malroth decides to break the siege and asks Ember to join him in his reckless endeavor. Ember is quick to accept, believing nothing could go wrong so long as they have each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am trying to follow the events of the story as much as I can, while adding bits and pieces of realism and artistic creativity. This chapter becomes exciting, dramatic, and emotional so I hope you all will enjoy it. 
> 
> I am also trying to accurately depict the character's personalities as much as I can. 
> 
> Feel free to comment, if you like the story and stay tuned, as I plan to write another chapter.

Chapter 2: Battle Scars

Chapter 2

The ringing of the bell inspired stragglers to make Moonbrook their home. Some of them even decided—and or were threatened by Malroth, to help rebuild Moonbrook castle. Their first objective was to retake another part of the castle that they could have an actual building to sleep within because even with the space of the bell room, the people would be too crowded to sleep—especially Malroth, who detested being in cramped quarters.

With the help of a few willing and forced builders the sleeping quarters was completed within a couple of days. It was a two story structure which accommodated everyone but the King, who preferred to sleep in his throne room. Ember was confident she and the residents would be safe within the unbreakable castle walls. Her bed was adjacent to Malroth’s—and these were beds that she and the townsfolk had made from wood, though because of a lack of cotton, the pillows and blankets were made of spiked hare furs.

A tad itchy they were on the skin, but it was a small price to pay for warmth during the night when the cold walls of the castle reflected the winter weather just outside. The King was relieved to have his throne room be a sacred place once again, and insisted that Ember now turn her attention to his throne room.

It was a request Ember put her focus on, since the prospect of re-building a throne room excited her. She knocked some blocks down and made the throne room larger before she decorated it in lavish spiked hare furs and other materials she had from her bag. Malroth kicked back, content to oversee the residents slave away, on the throne room.

Manual labor was not in his job description—not when building was involved, anyways. He had no problem smashing blocks to pave the way for new buildings to be built, especially at Ember’s request.

At the sight of a brand new throne room the people rallied together and united in a way they hadn’t yet. The flames of hope had been fanned—not that Malroth had any doubt they would be because Ember was the one leading the building revolution.

By the next week a castle kitchen and a cafeteria had been created, along with a few tiny toilets and lastly, a bathing area. Malroth invoked the rights of being Ember’s best friend to be the first person to use the bath, because the water was heated with coals. He wanted the warmth, and not necessarily the clean feeling he felt afterwards. 

“Hey Malroth,” Ember called after him as he headed towards the bathouse with a towel draped over his shoulder. She raised a bar of soap into the air. “Do you want to try out the new pine cone soap bar I made?”

“Sure.” He responded, intrigued by her smelly soap bars. He was determined to find one he liked the scent of.

Any of the soaps she had made in Furrowfield for him had mimicked the flowers—and in Khrum Bul, he was left smelling like sunshine which was somehow worse then the daffodils and tulips. Here, in Moonbrooke, there was a lack of an abundance of flowers which had obviously made her seek out new recipes.

The soap bar in his hand was proof of that. He took it with him to the bath, locked the door, shed his clothes, and stepped into the hot water. He reveled in the heat, lounging in it leisurely. The heat was welcome after spending many nights freezing in Moonbrooke.

Only once the water cooled did he bother to rub the soap onto his body. It wasn’t something he felt was necessary since he preferred his own musk to flowery scents, but he liked seeing how happy Ember would become after he tried one of her new inventions.

For her sake he didn’t mind all that much if he smelled like a flower for one day because he was confident in his masculinity, especially after encountering Dougie and Digby. Those narcissistic, petty, perverted fucks could never beat him in an arm wrestling match and could barely mine because it was dark in the mines.

As he recalled his adventures in Khrum Bul he remembered the strength it had taken Ember to break down those mine walls with her hammer and how she had put all of those men to shame. Sure, she was petite, but she sure could pack a wallop! Impressive, really, he thought has he dipped his hand underneath the water’s veil.

_Those pathetic losers were so insecure about Ember bringing back more gold then they were that they begged her to keep the truth from Babs_. Malroth thought, smirking at the memory. _My best friend, a girl with a dopey face is stronger than those masked bulltards_.

Pride swelled within his heart as he thought of her, and the friendship they had together that put everyone else’s to shame. And as he lowered his hand further and shut his eyes he suddenly remembered how stunning Ember looked the night she got dolled up as a bunny girl to take dancing lessons from Babs.

He had been curious, of course, and while he still wouldn’t admit it openly, all it took was that one night to make him understand why the drunken miners had wanted to see Babs dress up as a bunny girl so bad. Not that he had been looking at Babs—his gaze had traveled over Ember’s body in a way it hadn’t before.

It was a fond memory since he hadn’t looked at her like that since then, but tonight it was one he held close to his minds eye as he pleasured himself. His low, guttural grunts followed the quick flicks of his wrist. He felt comfortably hot and panted, choosing to take his time now that he had the privacy he required to be intimate with himself.

The release he wanted came when he remembered how sweetly Ember smiled at him the other day. It left him breathless and flushed. He gasped for air, feeling his body tingle. When he recovered he stepped out of the bath, dried himself off with a towel and redressed himself before leaving.

Immediately he sought Ember out, wanting to see if she noticed he had used the bar of soap. He paraded around the castle as if he owned the place, confident in his superiority over the simple folk who still largely believed in the Children of Hargon bullshit.

At least when Ember spoke of the Goddess, the Goddess didn’t seem to be hypocritical or contradictory. And speaking of Ember, the search for her continued as he entered into the dining hall, following the sound of a commotion. He stopped when he noticed Ember was the center of attention—and for the wrong reason.

She was sitting on the ground, beside a toppled over chair, and was clutching her ankle. A few people were gathered around her, fretting over her. Warrick was leaning down next to her, extending his helping hand to her.

Malroth felt as though his heart skipped a beat and pushed through the crowd, feeling a sense of dread and anger. _The chair toppled over? No, Ember made that chair. It wouldn’t_ —his thoughts were diverted to the consistent, whispered rumors of a spy having infiltrated their ranks. He had dismissed the claims before, but someone must have damaged that chair, just to prevent Ember from building.

His hands clenched into fists at the thought of someone wanting to prevent Ember from building. He made a mental note to listen to the whispers a little closer with the intent of gleaning clues as to who the spy amongst them might be, if one existed at all.

“Are you alright?” Malroth asked as he approached her, setting a hand over his hip. He saw relief enter her eyes as she looked up at him and realized he had arrived, albeit late. Her eyes then trembled in a way he distinctly recognized as the one imminent tear warning sign.

“It’s a good thing you arrived,” Warrick spoke up. “I told her I’d help her up and take her to her bed where she can rest, but she doesn’t seem too keen to let me help her.”

“I’ll help her,” Malroth told him, though his attention never left her. “Come, I’ll take you to the medicine station you built.” He said and offered his hand to her.

Ember grabbed his hand and with the aid of his strength she rose to her feet. “Ow.” She hissed, having applied too much weight to her ankle too soon.

“Just lean on me, you’ll be okay.” Malroth told her as he slid an arm around her waist to keep her upright. He felt her drape an arm over his shoulders and then press against him, using him for support.

“As soon as she sat down the chair collapsed under her,” A woman said, concerned for the resident builder. “It was such a surprise that none of us had time to react.”

“I tried to catch her,” Warrick spoke up, following after them. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Just leave us be.” Malroth told him, thinking it was too coincidental that Ember got hurt the one moment he stepped away from her. If someone really had sabotaged the chair he would give them a pummeling when Ember wasn’t looking.

Once they were outside, Malroth heard her let out a quiet sniffle. “Do you want me to carry you?” Malroth asked, concerned she was in more pain then she was letting on.

“No, I’m okay,” Ember told him, shaking her head. “I’m just so embarrassed, and frustrated because I have never made a mistake before.”

“You’ve built like fifty chairs, you didn’t make a mistake.” Malroth said, believing in her building prowess.

“The leg snapped—it completely snapped off!” Ember sputtered, breaking down into tears. “I just don’t understand how that was even possible, and now everyone is going to wonder if the other chairs are safe to sit on.”

“Hey, hey, it’s not your fault,” Malroth insisted, hating to see her cry. “I’ll help you test the strength of the chairs as soon as we get you inside to the medicin—”

“No!” Ember exclaimed, shaking her head quickly. “I don’t…I don’t want to be seen like this.”

“Then…I’ll take you to the courtyard,” Malroth suggested, changing direction. “It’s a busy path, but people don’t tend to linger like they do inside the buildings.”

She gave no objections to his idea so he brought her there and helped to lower her onto the bench she had built specifically for this area.

“Can I see it?” Malroth asked, peering forwards to catch sight of her ankle. He saw a dark bruise and light swelling.

“I guess,” Ember relented, lifting her leg to rest it on her thigh so he could get a closer look. “There’s not much to see though, thankfully.”

“You’re just…embarrassed, that’s the word, isn’t it?” Malroth guessed, tilting his head. He recalled what she had said, though the word was another one whose meaning was lost to him.

“Mhm. ” Ember nodded, sitting back. “It’s not a good feeling, and it’s one you know too from when Lulu uses big words you don’t know the meaning of.”

“Agh, she’s so annoying with her constant prattling,” Malroth griped, not wanting to think about her. “I don’t want to talk about her, I’d rather make sure you’re alright.” He told her, then reached for the bruise on her leg. His fingers grazed across her smooth leg, tracing the outline of the bruise to fully imagine where and how she must have hurt it.

_He’s so gentle with me_. Ember noted, impressed with how conscientious he was whenever they had interactions together. It was a stark difference from whenever he engaged in friendships with other people.

Each time he tried to high-five one of the men, the man would go flying into a wall or the ground. But from the very beginning he had treated her softly, as if understanding that while she was strong in her own ways, she was simultaneously delicate.

She figured their understanding was mutual because he was sturdy on his feet, and if a day should come where he didn’t want to budge or be dragged along somewhere, she knew he could easily ground his heels into the ground and not budge. They accounted for each other’s weaknesses as part of an unspoken bond they had.

“I’ll be okay with some bed rest,” Ember said, lowering her leg back to the ground. “Will you help me to my bed?”

A small huff left Malroth as he stood up and reached for her. “You don’t even need to ask.” 

“Thank you,” Ember smiled, curling an arm around him for support as she leaned against him. As he moved to better position them for walking, she caught a whiff of pine and realized he had tried her new soap out. “Mmm, that smells really nice on you.”

“Oh, you noticed?” Malroth remarked, grinning with pride as his face flushed red. “I don’t hate the pine like I disliked the flowers and loathed the sunshine.”

“Pine it is, then!” Ember cheered, thrilled to hear he didn’t hate the scent of pine.

“Think about it—” Malroth began, his eyes shining with delight. “My empire of evisceration, poison swamps, a lava lake, dead trees that somehow smell like pine…I can go for that!”

Ember laughed, amused by his unique dreams. When he spoke about his empire of evisceration this way, she was tempted to turn her green island into a hazardous wasteland, just for him.

_Anything for him_ … She thought, smiling as she stared into his beautiful eyes that shined like the rubies she once mined from a faraway desert country.

He paused and titled his head, noticing the endearing way she was looking at him again. It made him uncomfortable, but in a good way. He thought back to the night she cuddled him, and how he felt then was how he felt now, but he didn’t know what exactly the feeling was, nor how to respond to it. 

The door burst open then, startling them. When they looked over they saw Anessa standing in the doorway, pale faced and panting.

“There you are!” Anessa blurted, looking at Ember. “I’ve been looking all over for you after hearing you got hurt.”

“I’m alright,” Ember told her, leaning on Malroth for support. “Warrick was kind enough to want to help me up, but Malroth arrived and honestly, I know he can lift me up.”

“Warrick is good with a sword,” Anessa said as she approached them. “But I too doubt he would have been able to lift you up without hurting you more.”

“I was just about to tell Malroth that some bedrest won’t stop me from building,” Ember assured Anessa. “I want the dining chairs to be brought to me so I can inspect them myself.”

“I’ll help bring them to you, then.” Anessa offered, glad to see Ember was alright.

“Do you want more spiked hares to make more stuff for people?” Malroth asked, figuring she could sew and patch things together from bed.

“That’s a wonderful idea,” Ember said, smiling as she thought of the warm clothes she could make the Moonbrookians. The demand for clothes—gloves and hats especially were high. “This little ankle sprain won’t stop me from building!”

“Your optimism isn’t something we’ve seen here, ever.” Anessa commented, holding the door open for them to come through.

“Almost nothing makes her sad,” Malroth agreed, heading for the castle bedrooms. “It’s better to see her happy too, insufferable as it may be sometimes.”

“Hey!” Ember complained, giving him a look. She knew he was referring to their time in Skeletraz, which was a time she wanted to forget. Skeletraz wasn’t her greatest moment—he saw sides of her she never wanted anyone to see—and the smells. Everything stunk like death there, and or shit. It wasn’t how she had ever wanted to smell—not that anyone else smelled better, nor did they look better.

Anessa let out a little laugh and shook her head. “Well, some people are more then serious the others, and I tend to be more of the serious sort so to each their own, I suppose.”

Alongside her friends, Ember was brought to her bed where she was then brought the chairs, and later the spiked hares to keep her busy while she rested for two days. In that time the first warm hat she made went directly to Malroth because it would keep his long ears warm.

Each of the other hats she made were smaller, to better accommodate the people whose ears were smaller, and rounder than his were. Hats and mittens were what she focused on the most, since blankets or clothes required way more rabbit fur. It wasn’t a good use of time, nor materials, and since they had arrived, the local spiked hare population had dwindled drastically.

They were in need of a larger furry monster but had yet to come across one. The monsters that regularly attacked the base were of the bone, leather, or feather variety—predominantly, anyways. Their materials weren’t ever wasted and in fact the leather made great cushions for the dining chairs.

Once she was back on her feet she continued building in earnest, constructing a war room, training barracks, armory, a cell, and other castle staples all the while Malroth and the other soldiers kept the monsters at bay.

Merely defending against them and pushing them back was becoming boring for Malroth—something Ember noticed and worried about because whenever he became bored, he sought danger out. She knew if something didn’t change soon that he would become more restless, so when he asked her if she wanted to break the siege alongside him she immediately said, “Yes!”

“Alright!” Malroth cheered, raising his club into the air. “That’s what I like to hear!”

Someone had to watch his back when he chose to do reckless things out of boredom, plus, Ember was confident that he really was invincible. As long as they were together, anything was possible—including breaking through a monster siege that had threatened them for the last few months.

And she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t a little excited herself to charge into danger without a second thought. All of the planning, waiting, and sleeping with one-eye open had been draining her of some of her happy energy. Malroth, however, never failed to suggest exciting, albeit dangerous stunts.

“Let’s go before someone realizes what we’re up to,” Ember told him, eager to slip away from the castle before someone—like Anessa—told her no. “Hurry!”

“You don’t gotta tell me twice!” Malroth said as he turned around and sped through the courtyard, feeling the cold wind nip at his cheeks. He heard Ember chase after him and gained more confidence in what he was doing, knowing that if they got into a pinch she could build their way out of any bad predicament.

Their trust in each other drove them to the frontlines of the enemy where Malroth confronted a troll, and mocked him brazenly. “Hey, ugly!” He called, gaining the troll’s attention. “Tongues are supposed to fit inside your mouth—or are you too stupid to know that?”

A giggle left Ember’s lips as she stood beside Malroth fearlessly despite the monsters that began to threaten them with weapons and howls. She felt free beside him, and was thrilled to have done something on the spur of the moment without having to get permission from tons of people just to gain a day to hang out with her best friend.

Asking and being polite were avenues she liked to try first, but taking the day on her own terms was exhilarating.

“You dare mock me when you’re surrounded?” The troll balked, shocked by Malroth’s smug attitude, and presence.

“Nah you got it all wrong,” Malroth said, smacking the club against his hand in an intimidating manner. “You’re the one whose surrounded, and will get the pounding of your pathetic life.”

Bold, reckless, brave—this was the Malroth Ember loved the most—the talking shit Malroth because they both knew he could back his words up. He was fearless and that was infectious.

“Why you—” The troll roared and charged, swinging his own club at them.

“Heheh,” Malroth laughed and jumped out of the way, feeling the flames of battle overtake his body. “Your stupid and slow!” He continued to mock the troll and simply hopped out of dangers way each time the troll’s club or enormous foot got too close to him.

“Yeah, go Malroth!” Ember cheered, waving her arms in the air. She knew he was deliberately mocking the troll to goad it into a blind rage of fury because when people or monsters fought angry, they made stupid mistakes that would leave them wide open to attack.

And if nothing else, Malroth’s antics would cause the troll to become tired, which would make the battle easier that way too.

She was so enamored by Malroth and the thrill of battle that she didn’t see the shadow that loomed over her.

“Watch out!”

A shout made Ember remember there were other monsters nearby. She turned around and let out a gasp of fear as a furry monster stood before her with its claws poised to strike.

“Huh?” Malroth looked in Ember’s direction and recognized the monster as one of those shred-your-skin types. His eyes widened and as his heart thumped faster with newfound fear as he realized he could lose his best friend. 

Suddenly Warrick jumped to Ember’s defense, blocking the monster’s claws with a sturdy shield. Where he had came from or how he arrived in the nick of time, Malroth knew not. Nor did he care as he dismissed the troll to come to her aid.

“Ember!” He called, but his path became blocked by the troll’s foot.

“And where are you going?” The troll mocked, raising his club into the air.

_Oh shit_! Malroth thought, having completely forgotten about the troll in his determination to come to Ember’s side. He tried to leap out of the way, but the troll had the advantage from his momentary lapse in focus, so when the club smacked into his chest, he went flying through the air.

“Malroth!” Ember yelled, panicking as he careened onto the snow and rolled violently from the force of the direct hit. She ran after him while Warrick fended off a couple of monsters at one time. “Malroth, are you okay?” She asked as she arrived at his side and knelt down before him.

“Ahgh…!” Malroth clutched his chest and trembled violently, curling up into a ball. “Hhhk…” He spasmed sharply and spit out blood.

“Oh no…!” Ember gasped, breaking into tears as she realized the extent of his injuries. “Malroth, I’m so sorry!” She cried as she rummaged desperately into her bag, seeking a strong medicinal leaf.

“What the hell is wrong with you two?” Anessa yelled as she arrived on the battle scene. “You can’t just storm into a siege and take them all on by yourselves!”

“He’s really hurt, Anessa!” Ember argued, pulling out the leaf. “Please, cover us while I heal him, then we can finish what we started I swear!”

“You mean what he started—I know you wouldn’t have had such a reckless idea!” Anessa corrected as she drew her sword to fend off lurking monsters who were intent to take advantage of a dire situation.

“Heh, heh, heh, whose the stupid one now?” The troll laughed victoriously.

“Here, it’s a medicinal herb, it’ll help you.” Ember said, her tone urgent as she shoved the leaf at him in hopes he would take it. But all Malroth could do was writhe in agony, and groan in pain. She had never heard him sound wounded before which convinced her that something was seriously wrong with him.

He wouldn’t so much as look at her, let alone lift a finger to grab anything. His club laid discarded on the battlefield. Monsters were closing in on them, even with Anessa and Warrick trying to keep them at bay. The troll was still laughing.

In a desperate attempt to save his life, Ember shoved the leaf into her own mouth, chewed it up, then grabbed his face. She smashed their faces together, transferring the recovery herb to him. Tears streamed down her face as she feared that despite her spur of the moment idea, her best friend would be lost to her.

She heard him swallow, then break into a coughing fit. “Malroth!” Ember cried, pulling away from him to give him space.

“I can’t hold them off any longer!” Warrick called to Ember as he struggled against a monster. “You’re going to have to fight too!”

Ember drew her sword and stood up, knowing protecting Malroth was a task that fell to her. She stood over him and blocked oncoming monster attacks, stabbing them when there was an opening. It suddenly seemed impossible to win with Malroth crumpled on the ground, groaning in pain, but she knew she had to keep swinging her sword and ducking attacks, for his sake.

If she gave up or fell in battle, he could die.

“H-hey…” She heard Malroth say, his voice agonized, and just barely audible. “I need…another…”

Having no time to search her bag for another medicinal leaf, all she could do was toss the bag towards his outstretched hand.

He rummaged weakly through the bag, feeling for anything that resembled the leaf. By some luck he managed to pull it out on the first try and brought it to his mouth. He frowned at the bitter taste, but swallowed it anyways. His world was still spinning, and it was hard to think past the pain that had exploded in his chest when the troll clobbered him.

The pain hadn’t dulled all that much, but it didn’t feel like he was drowning in his own blood anymore, so he took that as a sign the first medicinal herb she gave him saved his life. The second one he ingested himself took just as long to lesson his pain level—at least, he felt as if minutes were turning into hours, but he really had no concept over time right now.

For all he knew, maybe only five minutes had past.

But with the noises of battle, each second seemed to stretch on for long minutes at a time. He had a strong sense of urgency to re-join the battle but he still couldn’t move. His life depended entirely on Ember’s battle skills—and those of his comrades, which was a feeling he wasn’t used to, nor did he like one bit.

As soon as he could push past the pain he felt around for his club, tapping his fingers against the snow. “Ngh…” He groaned and lifted his head, but was unable to focus on his surroundings. The world was blurry, and he was seeing double.

In the distance he saw three of his clubs. Malroth dragged himself towards them and felt around until he eventually gripped the wooden weapon. With the weapon in his hand he felt the flames of battle surge through him again—or maybe the medicinal herb had finally stifled enough of his pain for him to function again.

“You…stupid…troll…” Malroth muttered as he rose to his feet, gasping as he stumbled a little.

“Aww, mighty hero can’t stand up?” The troll mocked, flapping his long tongue as he laughed. 

Malroth clenched the club tightly in his hand and steadied himself with the rage he felt from being mocked by such a lesser being. “Who…who says I need to stand up to bash your skull in!?” He shouted at it, then focused on Ember. “Ember!”

His tone of voice made Ember rush to his side, understanding exactly what he wanted to do. “Right away!” She remarked, preparing for him to throw her at the troll. The moment she felt his hands grab her sides, she heaved her hammer over her head and jumped, gaining more wind from his powerful throw.

The troll didn’t know what to expect as she descended upon him, bashing her hammer into his face. Malroth was right behind her with his own club, and came down on the troll with the fury of a mocked God. The troll toppled to the ground, hard and didn’t rise. Malroth landed on top of the troll and bounced off his bouncy body to land on the ground. 

“We did it!” Ember whooped for joy and hurried to Malroth’s side and stretched her hand out to him earnestly.

“Ughh…” Malroth groaned, collapsing to the ground. His energy was spent.

“Huh?” Ember gasped as she knelt beside him and shook him. “Malroth? Malroth!”

“We need to take him to the medicine station where he can be looked at by a doctor,” Anessa said, setting a hand on Ember’s shoulder. “There he can receive proper wound care from that direct hit he took.”

“I just don’t understand why you guys charged out here all alone, though.” Warrick remarked, setting a hand on his head. “It wasn’t even just reckless or dangerous—it was the epitome of stupidity!”

“So much so the king will have to hear about it,” Anessa added, her tone grave. “Especially because people got hurt—and why, because he was bored?”

“It was my idea!” Ember shouted at them, wanting to protect Malroth. “I suggested it to Malroth because I was the one who was bored, okay!?”

“What?” Anessa gasped, taking a step back, while beside her Warrick’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Why else do you both think I am so upset that he got hurt!?” Ember continued, not giving them a moment to interject or re-direct blame unto Malroth. “This is all my fault! He’s hurt because he followed me.”

Both Anessa and Warrick looked away, having nothing else to say. All of their arguments about, “fighting as a team,” “sticking together,” “not doing stupid shit,” were with Malroth in mind, but because Ember insisted she had been the mastermind behind this dangerous scheme, they didn’t know what to say.

It wasn’t like Ember to make bad decisions on her own.

Now that Ember could think she pulled Malroth up and heaved the brunt of his weight onto her shoulder.

“Do you uh, want help?” Warrick asked, reaching for Malroth.

“No,” Ember replied, moving away from him. “He doesn’t like to be touched.” 

Her cold demeaner further stunned the two warriors. They took the hint and spread out to help other soldiers who had came to the defense of the castle.

Ember half carried, half dragged Malroth to the medicine station where she lowered him onto the stool and let him lean against the wall. A nearby nun approached and immediately began to look Malroth over.

“Oh dear,” The nun gasped as she inspected Malroth, using her holy prowess to figure out what wounds he had incurred during the battle. “Your friend had his entire rib cage crushed—but the colors tell me that some of his bones had healed. How is that possible?”

“He took a direct hit from the troll’s club,” Ember replied, frowning as she pulled at her sleeve nervously. “I gave him a medicinal leaf right away but he still didn’t recover until he ate a second leaf, but even then he wasn’t alright at all.”

“I can see he was choking, on his own life blood—the colors tell me that.” The nun said, pressing a tentative hand to Malroth’s throat. “His current colors, however, aren’t so bleak and pale as they are exhausted.”

“Colors?” Ember asked, tilting her head.

“We nuns see the colors of life—colors tell us a lot about people, and their condition.” The nun explained, stepping away from Malroth to address her properly. “We glean a lot through colors because they can take form, and then we predict, or describe the images that are present to us.”

“Are you able to heal him?” Ember questioned, concerned for her best friend.

“If the goddess lends me her powers I shall do what I can.” The nun assured her. “Do you perchance knows if he has accepted the goddess into his heart?”

“I…uh…” Ember stammered, at a loss as to how to answer that.

Religion wasn’t something she and him talked about a lot. From what she understood, it wasn’t that Malroth rejected the goddess, he just didn’t understand her, or why people followed her. Nor had Ember tried to shove her beliefs unto him.

“It matters little,” The nun decided, refocusing her attention onto Malroth. “Our goddess loves all of her creations, whether they love her back or not.”

The nun pressed her hands together and began to whisper an ancient prayer under her breath. A soft blue light surrounded her as she chanted. This light was soon transferred unto Malroth whose face regained color.

“Ngh…” Malroth groaned as began to stir. He began to jerk and twitch underneath the holy light of the goddess, while his expression changed drastically to one of pain.

“Wait!” Ember shouted, realizing he was having an adverse reaction to the holy prayer. “He’s hurting!”

But the nun was in the middle of a prayer—one she couldn’t just stop if she tried.

Before her Malroth’s body lit up in battle flames a second before his eyes popped open and shined with deadly intent. Ember gasped as he reached for his club, realizing he was reacting the way he does in the middle of battle. She lunged at him, throwing herself unto him to hold him down.

“Don’t!” She cried while he began to thrash underneath her. “She’s not a monster—she’s a friend!”

Her words, however, meant nothing to him as he tried to throw her off of him.

“Get off me!” He yelled, pushing at her. She held on to him for dear life, both to protect him and to protect the innocent nun who was just trying to help.

“Stop, this isn’t you!” Ember begged, refusing to be thrown to the ground. “I promise, just trust me, she’s healing you!”

“It hurts!” Malroth shouted at her as he continued to try to separate himself from her. “It burns—it burns so fucking much!”

“I’m sorry!” She cried, feeling awful he got hurt at all—and felt worse that the healing process seemed to hurt him more then when his ribs had been crushed.

Their commotion garnered the attention of a few soldiers who rushed in with weapons at the ready. Warrick was included amongst them.

“What is going on in here!?” Warrick exclaimed, watching Malroth use his superhuman strength in a brazen attempt to throw Ember off of him just so he could attack the nun who was trying to help him.

“Ah!” Ember yelped as Malroth grabbed her arm with crushing strength. She grit her teeth and refused to let him win because if he managed to break free and attack the nun like he wanted to do, he could be executed for any number of reasons.

“Shit, he’s hurting you!” Warrick gasped, startled by Malroth’s strength and her determination to push past the obvious pain he was inflicting upon her.

“I’m fine!” Ember lied as Warrick rushed to aid her in restraining Malroth.

Even with their combined strength they barely managed to constrain Malroth, let alone hold him even remotely still. His yells of agony tormented Ember’s heart—she wanted to help ease his pain but this was all she could do to keep him from hurting himself more, and innocent people.

As soon as the nun finished the prayer, Malroth stopped fighting against them and slumped in the chair, exhausted. Ember stumbled back, letting out an exhausted breath.

Warrick caught her in his arms and helped her to remain standing. “Are you alright?” He asked, seeing the dark bruises on her arms and collarbone from where Malroth pushed at her.

“I…I’ve never seen him react that way before…” Ember responded between strained, agonized breaths. She wouldn’t dare admit it—not to herself, and definitely not to anyone else that for the first time in her life she had been scared of Malroth—not specifically of him, but of what he could do to people when he was scared, and hurting.

His violent behavior wasn’t like him—it wasn’t him. She knew he wouldn’t have acted like that in his normal frame of mind. But, be it pain or a good smack to the head, he had flipped the fuck out, and she had no idea as to how she was going to explain his behavior away as harmless when she was covered in bruises from his hands.

And more then that, there were witnesses—witnesses who didn’t know Malroth like she did. They didn’t know that he never would have hurt her—only she knew that, but to defend his actions now seemed like an overwhelmingly impossible feat.

“Oh goddess,” The nun gasped, placing a hand over her heart. “No one has ever had such an adverse reaction to the holy goddesses healing powers…I fear he must have been influenced by the monsters.”

“That’s…that’s just not true…” Ember interjected, struggling to regain her breath and to calm herself down. “Malroth is good—he saved my life when he didn’t even know me…he just woke up in survival mode because the last thing he remembers is being hit by the troll.”

“Are you seriously defending him?” Warrick asked, appalled. “Look at your arms! Look at my arms! He was going to kill a nun!”

“He didn’t know she was a nun!” Ember yelled back at him, then looked back at the nun. “And I told you, he doesn’t know the goddess like we do, but that doesn’t mean he’s a bad person!”

“It is my experience, dear,” The nun began, her voice quiet, and solemn, “Only monsters react negatively to holy powers.”

Ember was taken aback at her accusation. She was stunned, and frustrated they didn’t see Malroth the way she saw him _. How can I convey to them he is good_? That was the question that burned within her as she desperately tried to talk them out of questioning Malroth’s allegiance to good.

“I’m starting to believe Anessa when she said that Malroth is a danger to himself and other people.” Warrick spoke up, his tone grave.

“You’re both acting as if he actually attacked the sister!” Ember argued, tears continuing to stream down her face. “He hasn’t hurt no one—ever—nor would he, I swear! His behavior just now was pure battle instinct—it had nothing to do with rationality nor reason.”

“’Your argument would be more convincing if you and I weren’t covered in bruises.” Warrick said, folding his arms across his chest.

“Don’t you blame him for that!” Ember yelled, clenching her hands into fists as she rounded on him. “You chose to aid me in restraining him despite knowing he was trying to escape—escape was what it was, that’s _all_ it was.”

“Look, Ember,” Warrick began, lowering his tone as he tried to level with her. “You’re beginning to sound like a woman whose drunken husband—”

“Shut up, shut up, shut up!” Ember demanded, placing her hands over her ears. “It’s not true—it’s not true at all, he’s never hurt me—”

“Until now.” Warrick interrupted, making Ember gasp.

“But…but…” She stammered, at a loss for words.

“No one is trying to vilify your friend,” The promised, waving her hand for emphasis. “We’re just expressing our concerns.”

“There’s nothing to be concerned about,” Ember insisted, desperate to get her point across. “I will make sure nothing like this ever happens again.”

With that she heaved Malroth onto her body and wordlessly carried him out of the bell room. To her relief, no one tried to stop her, but she knew this conversation wasn’t over, and that word of what happened within that room would spread through the castle town like a toxic wildfire.


	3. Headstrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Malroth feels invincible and wants to take on the entire monster army by himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am trying to follow the events of the game in order as much as possible, although admittedly I don't remember everything, including some names, and nor do I care much to research everything I have forgotten because if you're reading this fanfic then you already probably know what I'm aiming for.   
> I'm re-creating some of the in-game conversations, but not word-for-word.   
> We all know Malroth said some really unkind things when those soldiers died. I don't hold that against him-we all have bad days where we say mean things, and while it is not right, it does make us human. Malroth later apologizes profusely for it. He really did feel bad for saying what he had said.   
> The next chapter will be a little more intense.

It was nearly nightfall before Malroth opened his eyes, stretched out, and groaned softly, signifying his return to consciousness. He heard the distinct noise of Ember’s sniffles and sat up, ready to console her as he did during their time in Skeletraz.

“Hey,” He said, his tone soft as he reached for her, but stopped as he caught sight of the dark bruises that littered her arms. “You’re hurt,” He remarked, stunned to see the bruises marring her otherwise pale sink. “When did that happen?”

“Huh?” Ember looked up and was relieved to see Malroth was finally awake, and he looked good again. “Malroth…” She murmured, lowering her legs onto the ground. “I…” She stopped, seeing the way he was looking at her bruises. _He doesn’t remember_.

A sense of fleeting Joy surged through her heart. _I knew it, I knew he wasn’t intentionally being aggressive_. “We…need to talk.”

“Why do you look so serious?” Malroth questioned, raising an eyebrow at her. “That isn’t funny, you know.”

“Nothing about this is funny,” Ember agreed, shaking her head. “Warrick and others believe they saw you trying to attack the sister when she was trying to heal you.”

Malroth’s first instinct was to argue with her, but her serious expression made him realize she wasn’t trying to be funny. She meant what she said. “I…I don’t remember trying to do anything of the sort, and it doesn’t explain why you are covered in bruises either.”

“I know you don’t,” Ember said, running a hand through her hair. “You collapsed after we defeated the troll together so I brought you to the sister, and when she began an ancient prayer to heal the rest of your wounds, you…” She stopped and looked away, biting her lip nervously as she struggled to explain what happened without incriminating him.

“I what?” Malroth asked, becoming frustrated with how cryptic she was being. There was something she wanted to say—he could see it in her eyes, but she was still avoiding his gaze, and placed a hand over one of her bruises.

His eyes were drawn to the hand-shaped bruise that discolored her collarbone. It was that of a large hand—a handshape that was too familiar to him. He felt a sense of dread rise within him as he reached towards the bruise. To his horror, his hand fit perfectly over the bruise that was on her skin.

Worse, she flinched away from him, which made him realize something terrible had occurred.

“Tell me I didn’t do that to you.” Malroth said, struggling to speak past the dread that was chilling his bones. His voice trembled as he spoke. “It wasn’t me, tell me it wasn’t me!”

His desperate plea made her want to lie to him—and she would have if not for knowing everyone else would tell him a different story. She looked at him apologetically—it was all she could do, because there wasn’t anything she could say to make him feel better.

He recoiled, placing his hands over his head as his eyes widened in horror. “I didn’t…I wouldn’t…”

“Oi~, a fierce battle t’was,” A loud voice sang from somewhere outside, “A looming loony troll and his minions surrounded the foreigners of Moonbrook, catching them off guard in one strike sent them asunder, wounded and breathless the beastly man rose not until the enchanting kiss of his Cantlin angel spurred him to one last devastating blow with which to slay our oppressor, but alas he turned on her in a fit of rage and meant to strike the holy nun low~.”

There was only one citizen who sang that loudly, and to their misfortune he had already began to sing about the days events which while not uncommon, was distressing because he painted a grim picture of Malroth.

“You didn’t mean to hurt anyone,” Ember said, breaking the stifling silence that had settled between them. “What happened, it wasn’t your fault.”

“I…I don’t remember any of it…” Malroth muttered helplessly, feeling his heart thud quickly within his chest.

“It’s going to be okay,” Ember promised, leaning over to clasp her hand over his trembling one. “You’re not in any trouble.”

“Who…who all exactly saw me…me…” Malroth stopped, as if the words pained him to say, and sucked in a sharp breath. “…not be me…?” Malroth asked, bothered by events he didn’t remember engaging in.

“Warrick, unfortunately…” Ember answered as she stood up to sit beside him. “He…wasn’t very understanding of the situation, but I have a plan to make things right again with everyone.”

“If I did all of this…if I hurt you…why are you trying to protect me?” Malroth questioned, focusing his distraught eyes onto her.

“You’re my best friend, I’ll do anything I can to protect you because it’s always been us against the world, remember?” Ember responded, squeezing his hand gently, hoping to comfort him in a way that wouldn’t bother him too much. “From the moment you pulled me to the shores of our island we were faced with obstacles that only we could overcome together with my skills, and your brawn.”

He pulled his hand away from her soft touch and rested it against his lap. “I don’t know what came over me, but I promise, I never wanted to hurt you and I’m so sor—”

“Stop,” Ember requested, pressing her index finger against his lips. “I’m not mad at you, and that I put myself between you and the nun knowing the risks so you have nothing to apologize for.”

“But—”

“Please,” Ember pleaded, wrapping her arms around him, “Stop, just stop because it’s not your fault.”

“Hngh?” Malroth gasped, tensing as she pressed her body against his. He thought it was called a hug, from observing other humans perform similar acts, but it had never dawned on him to hug her—or that she would hug him.

Not like this. This form of…intimacy wasn’t something he had expected. Their high-fives were fun, and sometimes she grabbed onto his arm, or pulled him along with her, but she hadn’t grabbed him like this before so he was left speechless, with a rigid back and a racing heart.

It was then that the words of the bard’s song came back to him—there was a single word he was focusing on now as he inhaled the honeysuckle scent that lingered on her skin from a soap she had brought with her on the ship; Kiss.

_Where have I heard that word before_? He wondered as he slowly raised his hands and curled them around her as she began to cry on him. _On Khrum Bul…we walked into the relaxation room and saw that miner and bunny girl. Ember pulled me out really quick. Her face was so red, and when I asked about why their lips were against each other she explained they were kissing_.

“Did we kiss…?” Malroth asked, feeling her tense against him. “Haydin’s song…it…”

A sharp breath left Ember’s mouth as she realized how other people must have perceived her desperate attempt to save her best friends life. She titled her head up to meet his eyes and chose her words carefully. “Our…our lips did touch…but, but I merely gave you the medicinal herb.”

“But you said that when lips touch, that is called a kiss,” Malroth said, still trying to understand the foreign concept and how it might now relate to him. “The bard says we kissed—you said our lips touched, it means we kissed—or more specifically, you kissed me, but I don’t remember that, so I…I don’t remember my first kiss.”

“I…I didn’t think about it that way…” Ember stammered, at a loss for words. She had never thought they would cross that line—they were best friends—she just wanted to save his life. How, then, she wondered, did she end up robbing him of the excitement that came with a first kiss from someone you love?

“Is it a big deal?” Malroth wondered, clasping his hands together on his lap. “Because you’re acting rather funny about it.”

“It’s just…a first kiss is supposed to be shared between two people who like each other, who might even want to marry one day.” Ember explained, feeling awful she took away his first kiss without his consent. “And as your best friend I had no right to do that to you.”

“Agh, this is confusing,” Malroth groaned, setting a hand on his head. “I like you, so the kiss should have been fine but because we’re best friends it’s not okay to kiss?” He stressed, trying to figure out where the lines of, ‘okay,’ and ‘not okay’ were. “But not that I want to kiss…”

“I misspoke,” Ember recanted, realizing she confused him. “People who kiss don’t just like each other, they love each other.”

_There it is. That word, love_. Malroth dwelled on it as he stared at her, remembering the first time the word was mentioned. He asked her once that if she ever found love, if she could give him some too. But now he wasn’t sure if love could be given as though it were an item, the same way he wasn’t sure what to think about kissing.

“I don’t understand the difference, nor do I really care to, so what is your plan?” Malroth asked, deciding it was better to change the subject than wrack his brain about intimate human behaviors, much of which seemed pointless.

“Oh, right,” Ember remembered, realizing they had gotten off topic somehow. “I’m going to eat a medicinal herb to recover from my bruises and then store the rest of them in that basement in the courtyard.”

“Why?” Malroth questioned, not following yet.

“I won’t have bruises so I can say the bruises that were on me were from battle, and since I won’t have medicinal herbs on me, no one can say for certain whether I am lying or not.” Ember explained, knowing that while her plan wasn’t flawless, nor would it absolve Malroth of all suspicion, but it would give them a much needed grey area of, ‘maybe he did, maybe he didn’t,’ instead of, ‘he definitely did.’

“Ah.” Malroth understood where she was going with it.

“As for Warrick, I’m going to crush a medicinal herb up and slip the powder into his drink so that his bruises disappear too, and thus your handprints can’t be traced back to you.” Ember added, having thought about how she could best protect him.

“What do I tell people—specifically the King when he questions me about the incident?” Malroth asked, leaning back against the bed.

“You tell them what you told me—you don’t remember anything after the troll walloped you.” Ember instructed him as she stood up, knowing she had to put out a lot of gossip fires before it was too late.

“Right, okay…it’s a plan.” Malroth decided, hopping off the bed to commence with it. He watched Ember dig around in her bag for a minute before she pulled out a medicinal herb that she then popped into her mouth.

The rest of the night was dedicated to putting out gossip fires. Early on Ember managed to slip medicinal herb powder into Warrick’s drink and stow the rest of the medicinal herbs in the underground basement, behind a loose stone block. Then the hard part began—having hard conversations with Anessa, Warrick and even the king himself. It was no easy task to convince them all that Malroth was not a danger to himself, nor anyone else. Nor was it easy to convince them that the bruises she and Warrick had on their bodies were not from Malroth but were instead battle wounds that only became visible after the fighting was over.

Alongside her, Malroth got an earful from them. He maintained his story and tried not to flinch too much at hearing how awful he behaved in the bell room. It sounded like an ugly scene, and one he wouldn’t dare repeat, especially not while conscious—not that he was really conscious for it the first time, though…

“If anything like this happens again I will have to take drastic actions to protect my citizens.” The king said, rubbing his temples. He had been listening to everyone argue about the incident for hours and was more then ready to be done with the conversation for tonight.

“So he goes free?” Warrick balked, waving his hands for emphasis.

“Not free,” The king responded, shaking his head. “He’ll be monitored closely.”

“Thank you, your highness.” Ember said, bowing to express her gratitude. She grabbed Malroth’s arm and pulled at him to kneel too. Malroth resisted, pulling away from her.

“What ever happened, it won’t happen again.” Malroth insisted for what seemed to be the hundredth time. “I feel better now and will apologize to the sister myself.”

“This is a load of barnacles,” Anessa muttered, folding her arms over her chest. “But, it is as my king wills it to be so just know that I’m going to be watching the both of you from here on out.”

“Lastly,” The king interrupted, addressing Malroth, “The citizens have spoken with me about the incident and they no longer feel comfortable with you sleeping in the same quarters as them. You’ll have to find new lodgings.”

“But sire, I made those lodgings and he’s my best friend!” Ember argued, raising her voice again. “It’s also snowing outside again—how could he possibly not freeze during the night?”

“He could sleep with the kitchen rats,” Anessa suggested, setting a hand on her shoulder. “Or the bugs in the greenhouse.”

“As if any of that would bother me,” Malroth huffed, folding his arms across his chest. “I think I saw a poisonous cave just north of here. I might make that my new lodgings since a handful of soldiers don’t appreciate the fact that I broke the siege for them.” He turned around and stormed out of the throne room and heard, with some relief, Ember was chasing after him.

She grabbed his arm the moment they made it outside. “I’ll build us new lodgings tomorrow, but for tonight we can make the basement comfortable.”

“You always do have a plan.” Malroth said, folding his arms behind his head. “I’m mad, but I guess it’s not all bad.”

“Come on, we’ll make it work.” Ember suggested, heading for the courtyard.

Having nothing better to do, Malroth followed her, knowing they somehow adverted a crisis today because both Anessa and Warrick had been ready to have him all but executed. 

They wandered through the little courtyard and headed down the stairs where Ember set to work making the area bright with a couple of torches. She left once to retrieve their blankets and pillows, and another time to retrieve firewood—Malroth had wanted to help, but she explained that it was better for him to lay low for a couple of days so people could calm down.

Once Ember had a fire going that Malroth could warm up by she patched the one blanket over the hole that led outside to keep some of the snow out. She sat down beside Malroth and rummaged through her bag, pulling out a couple of potatoes they could roast over the fire—just the two of them.

“I was thinking while you were away,” Malroth said, laying down on his side, propping his head up with his arm. He waited until she looked at him to continue speaking. “I don’t mind that you were the one who kissed me, since it seems like a pointless endeavor anyways.”

“I…I’m glad you feel that way.” Ember muttered, unsure of how to feel about his dismissive tone. “Because, erm, we’re going to have to sleep kind of close tonight to keep warm.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Malroth said, opening his eyes to look at her. “I thrash in my sleep and I’ve already hurt you.”

“I know that,” Ember mentioned, unconcerned with how restless he became during the night because ever since Skeletraz, she didn’t sleep soundly either. “And I’m not scared of you.”

“You’d be the first…” Malroth mumbled, looking away from her. It bothered him to know that so many were inexplicably scared of him. If not for Ember, he was sure he would believe he was a bad person, but Ember had a habit of reminding him that he was human.

Humans made mistakes…it didn’t always mean they were evil or of ill intent. Yet, no one except her seemed to want to give him the benefit of the doubt. They judged him before they knew him. And he saw more of that today by how the Moonbrookian’s shied away from him and cleared a path for him when in passing.

“Tomorrow we’ll be able to make more amends for people and if we are still to be exiled from the sleeping quarters then I will turn this place into our home.” Ember assured him, already having a plan and was making do with what they had.

“That’s easy for you to say because you flash a smile at people and they open up to you immediately, but people avoid me whether I smile or not.” Malroth said, his rigid tone catching her attention.

_He’s in a dour mood_. Ember realized, frowning. “We just have to remind them that without you, there would be no them, and maybe then they’ll see you’re so much more then they think you are.” She suggested, hoping to make him feel better about himself.

“That’s never worked before and you know that.” Malroth grumbled, staring at the ground. “Everyone always think I’m some kind of beast and after what I did to you today, I might just believe them.”

“You’re not a beast, I told you, as I told them, you were lashing out because you were in survival mode, nothing more, and nothing less.” Ember insisted, hating to hear him talk about himself this way. For someone who acted so tough, he really did care about what other people thought of him.

“That doesn’t make what I did to you okay!” Malroth remarked, clenching his hands into fists.

_It’s better I not tell him that my wrist was crushe_ d. Ember decided, thinking it was best to let him believe her skin had simply been bruised by his hand. “Look,” She began softly, “I saw the pain you were in when the good sister was healing you. I tried to calm you down and in your mind you felt as if I was restraining you. You panicked, thinking you were a cornered animal and that’s when you began to really struggle against me, and when I really had to restrain you, so please stop blaming yourself.”

“None of that matters because if I hadn’t brought you with me to break the siege then none of this would have happened.” Malroth said, resisting her attempts to absolve him of guilt.

Ember paused, feeling a cold chill of dread flicker through her as she heard what he was actually saying; _Next time, I’ll go on my own_. “I want to fight alongside you, always.” She said, hoping—praying he would _hear_ her.

But he said nothing and continued to brood. Ember was left feeling rattled because if there was one thing this day proved was that Malroth was not as invincible as he seemed. He could get hurt, he could even _die_. The thought was so horrible Ember couldn’t dwell on it for long as she nervously chewed her bottom lip while laboring over the potatoes.

When the food was done cooking she handed Malroth both of the potatoes, having no appetite with which to eat her portion. She wanted to make him understand that what happened today wasn’t his fault, but she could see that he wasn’t in the right mood to actually hear her so she remained quiet and instead tried to focus her thoughts on how she could keep him out of trouble.

“How are we supposed to share the blanket?” Malroth asked, speaking up after a long bout of silence.

_Oh. Right_. Ember remembered they were to share the blanket, which at first had seemed a little exciting, but now she felt awkward about it. “Uhm…we just lay real close to each other and drape the blanket over us in a way that it covers the two of us.”

“You mean, like the first night we arrived in Moonbrooke? You sat on me to keep us both warm.” Malroth said, recalling that odd night as a unique memory he still didn’t know how to feel about. Good, maybe…

“Yes.” Was all Ember could say, knowing if she said anything else, she would somehow put her foot in her mouth and make their night together more awkward.

Satisfied with her answer, Malroth laid down, settling his head onto the pillow. There was something about being underground that made him feel a little more comfortable. A sense of peace came over him, enough to let him fall into a deep sleep.

Meanwhile Ember stoked the flames of the fire for awhile, just trying to keep warm, clear her head, and figure out how she could effectively protect Malroth from the world while simultaneously letting him do stupid, dangerous shit.

With the night becoming colder she eventually laid down next to Malroth, but deliberately kept some distance between them. She might have overstepped the friendship barrier when she kissed him earlier, but she was determined to not make that mistake twice.

_We’re just friends_. She told herself as she closed her eyes to sleep. _Just friends_.

In the morning Malroth awoke feeling warm and comfortable. He moved to stretch but felt his arm was weighed down. “Hngh…?” It took him a minute to realize that his left arm was trapped beneath Ember, while his right arm had been draped over her.

_How…? What_ …? Malroth stared, bewildered at his current predicament. He had no memory of thrashing around in the night—not really any more then any other night, but he certainly did not remember getting close to Ember.

In fact, he didn’t even know when she had laid down beside him. He only remembered waking up once during the night because he was cold. It had been pitch black in the cave—not that that bothered him, but it did mean that in his sleepy state he figured he could have grabbed Ember and not the blanket.

However this happened, Ember slept peacefully—unlike the other nights since Skeletraz. She was breathing softly as her chest rose and fell. He noticed her long red hair was loose and was splayed out around her and the pillow.

_Huh. She’s kind of pretty when her hair is wild_. Malroth thought as he gave in to the sudden desire to touch her hair _. It’s soft_. He leaned down then, led by curiosity to sniff her hair. _Still honeysuckle, and a tinge of campfire smoke_.

The addition of campefire smoke made him like the way she smelled. _I wonder if this is the way she wants me to remember her smelling_. Scents and smells were a big way he interacted with the world, and she seemed to understand that because during their time in Skeletraz she had insisted that he not get too close to her because she didn’t want him to remember how she smelled then.

But, from what he could remember, everyone and everything stunk. He couldn’t place a particular bad smell coming solely from her. The corpses stunk. The fields stunk. The air smelled like shit. Trying to determine who or what then made which smell had been almost impossible.

As he laid with her now, he tried to commit this bittered honeysuckle smell to memory. It was a hell of a lot better then whenever he did smell Babs. She always smelt like fish which was a scent that made him feel queasy.

Poison gas, swamy bogs—the smells never bothered him, but fish? He didn’t like when they were being roasted over a fire, either. It was too lean of a meat for him to truly enjoy, he much preferred the heavier cow meat, or even better, the monster meat Ember would cook up for him on rare occasions.

“Mm…” Ember moaned softly as she woke, stretching out as she rolled onto her back. Above her Malroth tilted his head, watching her curiously. She paused, realizing how close they were to each other and blinked up at him. “Uh…good morning.”

“Morning.” Malroth greeted, resting his arms over his knees.

“We, erm, hopefully will be allowed back in the regular sleeping quarters tonight, otherwise I’ll build us another one so we can have our own space at night.” Ember said, already thinking about building as she gathered her hair up into her signature pigtails.

“If you say so,” Malroth shrugged, having felt more comfortable down here than he had in those cramped sleeping quarters. “Do you want me to gather more fur for you?”

“That would be helpful, and in the meantime I can help assure everyone that what happened yesterday was just a big misunderstanding.” Ember said, having returned to her cheery self. Her good mood was a comfort to Malroth as he stood up and left, ready to face the day and whatever challenges might be presented to him as a result of yesterday’s fiasco.

Their entire day was dedicated to restoring relations with the Moonbrookian’s and figuring out where their standing was with them now. One thing became abundantly clear—the soldiers weren’t comfortable around Malroth which had been a growing sentiment for some time. It made Ember see they needed a new lodgings so she added a smaller third story to the sleeping quarters.

Just one small room that she filled with two beds, and a few other items to make her and Malroth comfortable. This, of course, didn’t stop the folks from gossiping and speculating about what their relationship might be. Ember ignored the gossip as much as she could and hoped that Malroth wouldn’t be too bothered by it either.

Once they had a bedroom of their own, they once again felt as if they had a place to belong Moonbrooke. And since no one brazenly confronted Ember nor Malroth about the incident during the siege, their life here continued. Ember began building things for the residents again and when she wasn’t working on a new construction project she joined Malroth on expeditions outside, both to lesson the monster population and to discover new sights.

Ember even began making traps to further keep them away from the castle walls, and made new weapons with which to cut the monsters down faster. One particular blade she fancied was a flame blade that mimicked Malroth’s intimidating battle flames.

All the while, residents continued to whisper about a spy. 

Spy this, spy that…

Some residents were even found dead, which prompted them to seek out an ancient relic called Ra’s Mirror. With this mirror, monsters wouldn’t be able to hide amongst the humans any longer. The only problem was was that they weren’t sure where they could obtain the mirror.

One day a commotion brought them outside to witness a messenger from another town be struck down by large beasts. The messenger’s last act alive was to warn them about the other monster generals who were on their way, with a vengeance.

“I’m not going to wait around for them to attack us,” Malroth said, grabbing his club. “Their tyranny ends today.” He decided and ran towards the snow capped mountains without waiting for anyone to object.

“What?” Ember gasped, feeling her heart begin to pump wildly with dread as she saw her fear become reality. Malroth was running off into danger, alone, without her to back him up or heal him if he got trapped between a mountain and a hard place. “Malroth, wait!” She shouted, but he didn’t even look back at her.

His mind had been made and before she could even think to follow, a few soldiers ran after him to give him the back-up she wanted to give him.

“Come on, we can’t let him go alone!” Anessa told her and then ran after the soldiers.

“He’s going to get himself hurt!” Ember exclaimed as she rushed after them, speeding past Anessa. “I have to hurry!” She knew she was the only one who could get Malroth to listen to reason, but despite how far and fast she ran, the white snow continued to stretch out into the distance before her.

It took too long—way too long for Ember’s racing mind to arrive at what was left of the now dilapidated town. She could see Malroth clubbing monsters and nearby laid the fallen soldiers who had followed him without provocation or question. She gasped and placed her hands over her mouth, horrified to see her comrades lifeless bodies.

They had been alive just an hour ago, each and every one of them. Only Malroth survived, and he was becoming exhausted from battling hordes of monsters on his own. Anessa and Ember rushed to help him, though they were pushed back against each other. The three of them were surrounded by the monsters, and there seemed to be no way out other then fighting—not that Malroth had a problem with it, but before anyone could move, a slime bounced into the middle where they were.

“Stooop,” The slime commanded, plopping along. “The general commands a meeting and those who are late don’t get to eat the human we captured this morning!”

The monsters stopped advancing on the cornered trio. Some of them immediately retreated while others contemplated the pro’s and con’s of being late.

“Goo!” The slime insisted, bouncing harder at them.

Each of the remaining monsters finally fled, heading for their commanding officers hide out.

“That was a clooose one,” The slime said, remaining near them. “Are you guys alright?”

“Ack, why’d…you intervene?” Malroth complained between heavy breaths, swinging his club over his shoulder. “It was just…getting good.”

“I thought we were going to die,” Ember gasped out, panting hard from the laborious battle. “Those monsters really meant to kill us!”

“All of which could have been avoided had _someone_ not ran off on his own!” Anessa griped, sheathing her sword.

“Shut up!” Malroth told her, folding his arms across his chest. “I go where I want to, leave me alone about it!”

“That’s the problem,” Anessa said, rounding on him. “You ran off on your own and now five of our soldiers are dead!”

“Gooys!” The slime scolded, bouncing between them. “Listen—”

“You say that as if it is my fault,” Malroth huffed, incredulous. “Those guys followed me of their own free will, it has nothing to do with me.”

“It has everything to do with you!” Anessa shouted, clenching her hands into fists. “Those guys admired you and wanted to be like you, but they were human!”

“As if I’m not,” Malroth scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Look, I’m just not pathetic like they were!”

“Don’t you dare speak ill of the dead—” Anessa screeched as she charged towards Malroth, mowing the slime down in her path.

“Stop it!” Ember exclaimed, jumping between them to block Anessa’s path and simultaneously protect Malroth. “Just stop it, the both of you!”

Whatever was going on, Ember knew she didn’t like it. She could hear Malroth’s tone was off—it was dark, and mean. How he was behaving, that wasn’t like him. She knew Anessa didn’t know this—but she did, and so long as Malroth was being confronted, he wouldn’t calm down nor would he open up to her.

“She’s—”

“He’s—”

“Enough!” The slime demanded, transforming into an old man.

“Oh, it’s you!” Anessa gasped, recognizing the old man.

“It is I, and I say with this rod of mine—” He procured a magical rod and hoisted it into the air. “You all can transform into monsters so you can infiltrate the enemy headquarters to glean more information then I did.”

“Let’s do it, it beats sticking around here with the sight of these weaklings.” Malroth said, rubbing the side of his head.

Since battle was often therapeutic for Malroth, Ember agreed. “We will head for the enemy’s ship right after I bury these soldiers.”

“Do you have to?” Malroth groaned, completely put out by the thought of having to wait around for her to dig some graves when at the very most they could throw some snow at the bodies and be done with it. “It seems so pointless to bury the dead—almost like—no, it is a waste of time—my time.”

“Then you don’t have to help, but you haven’t heard the last from me.” Anessa told him as she moved to help Ember dig the graves.

Ember looked to Malroth with sympathetic eyes. “Are you…going to help us?” She asked, hoping he would change his mind for her. To her disappointment he sat down on a boulder and faced away from them, completely disinterested in expressing empathy for the dead. She sighed and headed for the church in search of tools in which to aid with digging.

“What is his problem!?” Anessa huffed as she followed after Ember. “He’s being a complete di—”

“I can hear you!” Malroth called, though he didn’t look at them.

_Do you want to see something totally gruesome and cool_? Ember remembered Malroth asking her once before, when they first met on the island of awakening. He had led her to a segment of the beach where dead bodies had washed up from the shipwreck. She had been taken aback—horrified, even, but Malroth’s eyes shined with innocence as he continued on about how ‘awesomely gruesome,’ his discovery was.

He had been so happy about it. Ember realized in that moment that Malroth must have been alone for a long time on the island, he had to have been, to be that interested in something so morbid. Even then she couldn’t imagine how many days or nights he must have spent being bored on an uneventful, barren island, so instead of frowning when he again asked her what she thought of the dead bodies she forced a smile onto her face and entertained him, much to his delight.

_Maybe he just doesn’t understand death and how final it is, or how it can effect those who remain alive_. Ember thought as they headed for the church. She stopped at the doors and looked back at Malroth again. “Would you like to scavenge the church with us?”

“I’d not set foot in such an unholy, disgusting place even if my life depended on it,” Malroth snapped, completely offended she asked him to enter a church. “And how dare you invite me into that wretched place!?”

“Ugh…” Ember sighed, rubbing her temples with her fingers. First, he nearly attacked a nun, second, he now wouldn’t set foot in a church. How the fuck was she supposed to keep defending him to the others? She could already see Anessa had made up her mind about Malroth being evil—what he just said confirmed her suspicions, and nothing she said now could convince her otherwise.

“You better hope I don’t find holy water in here because if I do then I’m bathing your demon ass in it.” Anessa threatened, then entered the church with the sole purpose to find holy water.

“Please leave him alone,” Ember pleaded as she scoured the church for a shovel. “He’s obviously in a bad mood—”

“A bad mood?” Anessa repeated, incredulous. “A bad mood!?”

“Whose there!?” A unfamiliar voice called from somewhere around the altar.

“Someone’s here?” Anessa gasped, hurrying towards the altar where a nun was hiding behind here. “We thought everyone was dead.”

“Oh, humans, thank the goddess!” The nun exclaimed as she stood up and dusted herself off, relieved to see her own kind. “I would have been dead but that kind young man shoved me in here and battered the monsters away any time they got close.”

“That kind boy?” Anessa questioned, thinking of one of the soldiers who had lost their life today.

“Yes, the one who carries that big club around,” The nun clarified, waving her arms for emphasis. “Oh, he was so nice to me, and when he shoved me into the church, the weirdest thing happened!”

_Oh no_. Ember thought, concerned the nun was going to say something along the lines of Malroth bursting into flames.

“His arm went up in yellow flames when he pushed me into the church, almost as if the church repelled him.” The nun said, thinking about how brave and kind Malroth had been to her, instead of focusing on why the fuck the church’s holy barrier repelled him.

“I knew it!” Anessa exclaimed, rounding on Ember. “Your best friend is a demon who is disguised as a human!”

“I know Malroth can be intimidating at times and sometimes he doesn’t understand our world or our customs, but I assure you that he is human!” Ember responded, standing her ground.

“The holy church repelled him and he tried attacking a nun before, what more proof do you need to see that he is evil?” Anessa argued, clenching her hands into fists.

“He did _not_ try to attack a nun,” Ember defended, “He was merely trying to escape.”

“Oh my…” The nun murmured, realizing Malroth’s allegiance was in question.

“I get that you’re in lo—”

“Shut up!” Malroth yelled from outside. “Stop talking about me and wasting my time or I swear I’m going to charge onto that godforsaken ship by myself and I won’t be coming back!”

As much as Anessa wanted to argue, a pleading look from Ember quieted her. With the help from the nun Anessa and Ember found a shovel and dug into the frozen earth to bury their fallen comrades. When the burial was over, the slime man took the nun back to the castle while the remaining three of them turned into monsters via the magical rod and infiltrated the ship.

Their journey was a successful one as they gained more information about the monster’s weaknesses, gained Ra’s Mirror, and a new citizen. A bard named Haydin who thought he could sing. He couldn’t. His songs only made Malroth want to kill him.

When they returned to the castle the mirror was handed over to the King and they were allowed to rest. In the morning Malroth made it a point to block the door so she would have to listen to him.

“Look, I know I was way out of line yesterday and knowing that, I wanted to apologize to you.” Malroth said, his eyes shining with the sincerity she knew he was capable of. “I’m really, really sorry about what I said, and how I acted.”

“Thank you,” Ember responded, then lifted up on her tippy toes to hug him. “I really appreciate your apology.” She felt him tense against her and reminded herself, as she pulled away, that he didn’t like to be touched.

“Is there any way I can make it up to you today?” Malroth questioned, waving his arms for emphasis.

That’s when she caught sight of the lingering burn on his arm. She hadn’t forgotten what the nun had said, but last night Malroth wouldn’t talk to her—he wouldn’t even look at her so addressing his wounds hadn’t been an option.

“Please let me make your arm feel better,” Ember answered, gesturing to the burn on his arm. “I have bur salve’s and cloth I can wrap around it.”

“Agh,” Malroth groaned, rolling his eyes. “It’s just a burn…but if you insist.” He grudgingly sat himself back down on his bed and draped his arm over his knee.

Ember smiled with relief and rummaged around in her bag, just for a minute to fetch out the required materials. She rubbed the burn salve on his burnt arm, feeling the taut muscles that laid beneath the skin. He really was a work of art, but one she tried not to think too much about as she wrapped the arm up in bandaging.

“There, all set!” Ember declared, smiling.

“I guess I do feel better.” Malroth admitted reluctantly, then stood up to begin the day, not knowing that everything was about to change for him and Ember.


	4. Ra's Mirror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ember obtains Ra's mirror and is asked to use it on Malroth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The builder should have refused to use Ra's mirror on Malroth. They've been traveling together for months, maybe a year or two in actuality. You can't tell me that the builder didn't trust Malroth completely. Yet the builder uses Ra's mirror on Malroth? I do not accept that. I will not accept that. Best friends don't do that crap to each other. I was so outraged that the builder shown the mirror at Malroth, all smiling and dopey. No objection. No argument.   
> And does the king seriously not realize that he would not have his precious throne and kingdom without Malroth?   
> Moonbrooke was awful. I hate it.

Each day that passed there were more odd incidents which were followed by whispers of, ‘spies.’ Their next mission was to infiltrate a monster ship to glean information on the monster general’s weakness, whilst using the magic rod to become a monster themselves.

Their mission was successful, and they even stumbled across Ra’s mirror. With this weapon they could weed out the spies, then fortify their defenses in peace. Ember was all too eager to shine the mirror at the new folk who had joined them, convinced one of them was a spy for the enemy team., even though Malroth kept saying they needed to trust their teammates. 

Yet, half way through, the King made a declaration; “Ra’s mirror must be used on each and every one of us, including your friend, Malroth.” 

“Excuse me, your Majesty?” Ember balked at him.

“To be fair, no one, not even I will not be exposed to Ra’s mirror, so as your king I command you to use Ra’s mirror on him.” The king insisted, his serious tone expressing his expectation for her to follow without question.

“What?” Malroth balked, staring at the king with wide eyes. “I’ve been here since the beginning—at Ember’s side, breaking the siege while she built this castle back up from the ground and you want to use Ra’s mirror on me?”

“Your reluctance is most concerning.” Anessa commented while some of the other folks shifted nervously on their feet.

“Those who have nothing to hide, hide nothing.” Warrick added, folding his arms across his chest.

Malroth looked at each of them, lips parted with disgust. “If not for me, you both would have died! “He looked directly at Warrick. “That abominable tongue snowman would have ate you last week, but I’m the one who bashed his skull in and you—” He turned to Anessa, becoming hot over the way a lot of the citizens were looking at him. “Those crows had you surrounded and were scratching the living daylights out of you until my snowballs repelled them enough for you to escape with your eyeballs still in their sockets.”

“It’s true, your majesty,” Ember spoke up in his defense, “Malroth and I have journeyed together for many months and not once has he ever hurt anyone.”

“You’re too close to him to be objective,” Anessa dismissed, waving her off. “We’re telling you, shine that mirror in his face or you both will be under heavy suspicion of being traitors.”

“He is scary.” A resident muttered, squirming nervously.

“The way he fights…he is a monster, I just know it!” 

“Show us his true form!”

Other residents began to speak up, and then to Ember and Malroth’s horror they began to chant;

“Shine the mirror! Shine the mirror! Shine the mirror!”

“Silence!” The King yelled, standing up. “Ember, shine that mirror on him lest we execute him on the spot for trickery and resistance.”

Ember turned to Malroth with tears shining in her eyes. _This is so wrong_.

_You trust me, don’t you_? Malroth’s eyes responded as he stood tall against the accusations and chanting that were being thrown at him. He watched Ember’s trembling hands lift the mirror, and felt his heart begin to thump wildly in his chest.

“I won’t do it!” Ember shouted, throwing the mirror at the ground. “I trust Malroth with my life, and if none of you do then that is your problem!”

“Oh for the moon’s sake!” Anessa cursed moving quickly to catch the mirror, then shined it at Malroth.

Malroth gasped and stepped away from his lack of a reflection, confused and startled by it.

“He has no reflection!” A resident shouted, inspiring the other folks to whisper amongst each other.

_No. No, no no_ …Ember fretted, beginning to panic as she thought of the disastrous consenquences this newfound knowledge could pose Malroth. She snatched the mirror back from Anessa and in a desperate attempt to take the attention away from Malroth she shined it at another man, whose reflection was that of a skeleton.

“Here is the real monster!” Ember yelled, intent on being heard over the noise of the distressed crowd.

A couple of other people transformed to reveal their true warrior skeleton form, and the three of them rose their swords. Malroth jumped over the crowd and with a single, powerful strike of his club he knocked the skeletons to smithereens.

“Their blades—their blades still have the blood of your comrades, while my club is stained with the blood of monsters.” Malroth declared, standing on top of the bones of the skeletons. “I’ve come to almost every single one of you ungrateful wretches defense at least once, yet you all turn on me when the real enemy is below me?”

“There it is, that superior attitude of yours that makes you dangerous to everyone around you,” Anessa spoke up, clenching her hands into fists. “If you hadn’t ran off that day, those soldiers would still be alive!” 

“Instead of being a bitch about it you could have whacked these skeleton’s heads off but you were too busy being, well, a bitch.” Malroth remarked, swinging his club back over his shoulder.

“Enough,” The King bellowed over the chattering public. “With these traitors having been exposed and slayed you may all leave, whilst I convene with my trusted general, and soldier.”

“Tch.” Malroth muttered, storming away from the crowd who still stared at him. He heard Ember’s distinct footsteps trace him.

“Wait up,” Ember called after him, “Let’s talk about it.”

Malroth stopped, clenching his hands into fists. “Let’s talk about what?” He rounded on her. “The fact your new best friend hates me and is convincing the King I’m a bad influence on our soldiers?”

“She’s not my best friend!” Ember argued, shaking her head. “I have to work with her, but it doesn’t mean that I like her more than I like you.”

“Whatever.” Malroth grumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“You saw me back there, I refused to shine that mirror on you because I do trust you.” Ember said, waving her hand for emphasis.

“Ugh…” Malroth relented, letting out a sigh. “You’re right, you did have my back, back there. Thank you.”

A small smile lit up Ember’s face. “You’re my best friend, Malroth. No one could ever replace you. Try to remember that, okay?”

“I just…I remember what it was like to be all alone on that island before I saw the ship crash, and you go under the waves,” Malroth began, his tone quiet. “I don’t want to be alone like that again so when you make new friends, I get all weird about it.”

“I know,” Ember said, closing the distance between them to wrap her arms around him. “And I’m so sorry I’ve not been giving you more of my attention.”

“You’re touching me,” Malroth complained, stiffening against her because he didn’t know how to respond to this ‘hug’ thing. A slap on the hand was violent and exciting, but this? It made his face heat up red and his palms go sweaty. “Can you give me your attention without touching me?”

“Hmnh,” Ember responded, shaking her head. “Hugs are part of friendship, and you need this hug after what you just went through.”

“I’m fine,” Malroth told her. “Really.”

It was only then did she pull away from him. “I’m off now to explain to everyone why you had no reflection in the mirror.”

“What are you going to say about that?” Malroth asked, raising an intrigued eyebrow.

“I’m going to tell them that the mirror doesn’t show your reflection because you don’t remember who you are, so how could the mirror know who you are?” Ember answered, grinning from ear to ear.

Malroth stared at her. “It’s not fool proof, but it might work on the stupid people.”

“Thanks!” Ember quipped, then headed off to defend Malroth’s honor.

As she spent the better part of the day explaining this to people, she was eventually stopped by Anessa who wanted her to follow her to the throne room where the king awaited them.

“Your Malroth friend,” The king began. “He had no reflection in the mirror.”

“How could he have a reflection when he doesn’t know who he is?” Ember reasoned, waving her arms for emphasis. “We’ve been journeying across the world for this very reason, to recover his memory.”

“Be that as it may,” The King said, “The fact that traitors haunted my halls and killed some of my people is of the utmost disturbing news I’ve been enlightened of so I’d like you to build a cell.”

“A cell?” Ember questioned, frowning as she remembered the cells on Skeletraz. She shuddered, having no interest in building a prison.

“A quaint cell will do for now,” The King told her. “Make it right away, prioritize it.”

“I…I will begin right away…” Ember responded reluctantly, feeling dread flutter heavily within her stomach.

Against her better judgement she built a cell underground in the courtyard. 


	5. Moonbrooke's Betrayal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ember will rescue Malroth even if it means becoming a villain and abandoning her religion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not really sure if anyone is reading this fanfic but I know I'm happy to have finished it. There is more I could write if I wanted to, but right now I just feel good about what I have wrote so far because someone needed to say it, and maybe someone already has, but I haven't really read any fics yet, except for one which didn't revolve around Moonbrooke. 
> 
> If you are a reader of my DQ fanfics, I did re-edit the first 3 chapters of, "Break My Mark." It is wrote better now, and I'm happier with the story as a whole.

The night had grown colder, leaving Ember chilled and trembling as she finished building the quaint cell. She shoved her hands into her pockets to warm them and looked upon her work, frowning. There were no spikes, nor any bones, yet all she could think about was her time as a prisoner in Skeletraz.

_I’m not sure imprisoning someone is the answer_. She thought, feeling uncomfortable knowing she built a cell that would undoubtedly cage someone in as a cage once held her.

“You don’t like it.”

Ember spun around on her heels, startled as she realized she wasn’t alone anymore. She had been so lost in her own trauma she hadn’t heard him come in, but here he was, his expression ever attentive, understanding her.

“I don’t.” Ember admitted, shaking her head solemnly.

“You’ve never disliked anything you’ve ever built.” Malroth remarked, studying her intently with concern brimming in his dark eyes.

His statement echoed in her head as she realized he was right. Building had always been fun for her for as long as she could remember. But nothing about building this cell had been thrilling, nor had it been exciting.

With each iron bar she welded together she had only felt a foreboding sense of dread, and now that the cell was finished, she felt no relief nor joy upon looking at it.

“You didn’t even etch your initials into it.” Malroth noted, waving his hand for emphasis.

“I couldn’t.” Ember whispered, with tears beginning to shine in her eyes.

Just then the noise of hurried footsteps made them turn their attention to the stairs where Warrick, Anessa, the King, and two loyal soldiers approached them. Their gazes were serious, which made Ember concerned monsters were about to descend upon them.

“What’s up?” Malroth asked before Ember had a chance to ask the same question.

“We figured the cell was about finished and needed to talk to you about Malroth.” Anessa spoke up, speaking directly to Ember as if Malroth’s presence here was inconsequential. Her face was grave whilst her tone was serious.

“I’m right here.” Malroth griped, folding his arms across his chest.

“There have been a few developments while you were building the cell for us,” Warrick added, waving his hand for emphasis. “We’re going to ask you to cooperate with us and not make what we’re about to do difficult for anyone.”

“What are you talking about?” Ember questioned, feeling the pit of dread grow larger within her stomach. Her apprehension grew as the king sucked in a breath to make a declaration.

“Guards, seize him.” The King commanded, gesturing towards Malroth.

“What!?” Ember and Malroth exclaimed together.

The guards rushed to grab Malroth. Malroth reached for his club. Ember leapt between them, holding her arms out.

“Stop!” She urged, feeling her heart begin to race with fear. “Malroth has been with me since the beginning, you guys know he’s not a traitor!”

“And yet he is a danger to himself and my people who fear him.” The King said, his eyes shining with hardened conviction. “Move aside.”

“Your people?” Malroth scoffed, balking at him. “You mean the people who heard the bell only Ember could ring, ring, and be so swayed by Ember’s restoration of the castle that they wanted to stay and live lavishly here?”

A flash of anger flickered through the king’s eyes as Malroth put him in his place. Before he could respond, Ember spoke up quickly.

“I understand Anessa and Warrick are capable fighters, but without Malroth’s strength you guys have to understand that we wouldn’t be here right now!” Ember pleaded, desperate to appeal to their rationality.

“I bashed the majority of those monsters to kingdom come, and took down their generals and you fucks want to imprison me instead of deciding to hail me as a motherfucking god for the safe, privileged life you live now?” Malroth remarked angrily, clenching his hands into fists.

“Shut up and show some damn respect to our King!” Anessa snapped at him.

“Your King!” Malroth retorted, making it clear he had no loyalty to the man who was intent to throw him into the cell his best friend made.

“Guards, I will not ask you again.” The king warned, spurring them into action.

They moved with speed that not only astounded Ember, it caught her off guard as they rushed her, throwing her to the hard ground, removing her as the blockade she made herself to be.

Ember shrieked as she was pushed and fell hard onto the ground. She hurriedly pushed herself up on to her elbows as she heard Malroth say, “bring it,” fearing he would kill them. “Malroth—” She gasped as a sharp blade was pressed to her throat.

“If you hurt them and resist, she dies!” Anessa said, pressing her blade against Ember’s neck.

Malroth hesitated in his defense against the soldiers. He knew he could bash these guys unconscious with a single swing of his club, and even if one of them managed to spear him, he was confident in his survival capabilities.

But Ember? She cried if she got a burn, or a splinter in her finger. Hell, she even cried when they watched their first sunrise on the island of awakening after arriving home from Skeletraz.

“Fight them!” Ember shouted whilst tears streamed down her face.

Her encouraging voice rekindled Malroth’s instinct to fight, making him grab his club.

“I am not bluffing!” Anessa insisted, pressing the blade firmer against her neck, drawing blood.

“Ouch,” Ember flinched and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment as the reality of her situation hit her. _After everything Malroth and I have done for them, they’re serious about imprisoning him in the cell they made me built. I, I won’t just let that happen_! “Forget about me and escape already!”

_Escape_? “Tch.” Malroth let his club clatter to the ground. “I won’t.”

As soon as he dropped his weapon the guards grabbed him, seizing him roughly.

“Nooo!” Ember shouted, crying. “This isn’t just!” She yelled, struggling against Anessa hard enough that Warrick had to assist in restraining her. “You guys might doubt Malroth’s loyalty towards the king but he’s loyal to me and that’s all that should matter!”

“Just stop it already,” Malroth muttered, grunting as he the guards shoved him towards the prison. “They’ve already abandoned reason in favor of obeying tyranny under a king whose need to swing his small dic—agh!” He gasped as he was thrown into the prison, falling onto the cold stone ground.

“Your majesty,” Ember pleaded, turning her head towards him. “If your people fear Malroth then he and I can return to our island, right now!”

“That is out of the question.” The King said, dismissing her idea immediately.

“Your guards can escort us to our ship, I don’t care, we can just go home and never bother you guys again, I promise!” Ember begged, hoping the descendent king of the hero would allow them that much.

“You’re needed here, to further restore my kingdom to its former glory.” The King told her. “There are traps to be made and weapons to be built, along with a few more farms will tide us through this neverending war.”

Ember balked at him, incredulous.

“You want her to build for you after you lock me in a cage you had her build just for me!?” Malroth exclaimed, clenching a hand into a fist. His eyebrows were narrowed whilst his teeth were barred.

“Never!” Ember shouted at the king. “I’ll never build for you so long as you have Malroth in that cell!” She had found her voice again, and now she was pissed off.

“Would you abandon the people of Moonbrooke for one man whose identiy is questionable at best?” The king questioned.

“Yes, yes I would.” Ember asserted,, standing tall despite being restrained by Anessa and Warrick. “Malroth means everything to me, and if you’re not on his side, then I am not on your side anymore.”

“You would become our enemy over this!?” Warrick asked, stunned.

“I am your enemy now,” Ember said, feeling her heart race quickly within her chest. “You can throw me in the jail with him for all I care because I will not build for any of you ever, but just so you know, he and I, we escaped Skeletraz together and we’ll break free come the morning.”

“Is that a threat?” Anessa gasped, shocked by Ember’s words.

“If you jail me elsewhere, that’s fine too because I rebuilt every block of this castle. I know every nook and cranny of this place so just go ahead and try it.” Ember told them, indignant, yet confident in her own building prowess.

“I could have you hung.” The King mentioned, gesturing towards the stairway.

“You go right ahead and do that,” Ember challenged him, “Because when Malroth even suspects that I have been hurt or killed, he will have no reason to sit politely in your cage. He can bend those bars for breakfast and you all know it which is why you’re all still sweating because even now you guys are the ones who are powerless.”

A snicker coming from Malroth was music to her ears.

“We’ll give you a couple of days to calm down and think this through,” The king told her. “You’ll see that you can’t sacrifice an entire kingdom for one man, and will give up on your pursuit to free him when for the benefit of everyone, he needs to be caged.”

“I—” Ember began, but gasped as Anessa and Warrick began to drag her towards the staircase. “I will come for you!” She promised to Malroth, whilst resuming struggling against them. “Ugh, I thought we were friends, Anessa! Warrick! But friends don’t do this to each other!”

“I’m doing this all for you!” Anessa argued back, dragging her up the stairs alongside Warrick. “You can’t see it but he’s a monster who is disguised as a man!”

“That mirror would have exposed him if that was true, and even if it was true he has never hurt me or anyone else!” Ember bickered, regretting finding the mirror for these fucks at all.

“The soldiers are too scared of him to fight effectively, we can’t have him on the field of battle!” Warrick insisted, as if the fact that others were scared of Malroth should be the sole reason he was robbed of his freedom.

“This is all so wrong!” Ember cried, lowering her head to let her bangs drape over her eyes. She heard the heavy footsteps of the king and the clinking of armor from the two soldiers who stopped to stand guard at the entrance to the dungeon.

“You’ll think about the greater good and when you do you’ll come to me and should you try to break your friend free, we’ll kill him in his sleep.” The king told her, making sure she understood he was serious.

“Only because you all know he can not be beat…” Ember murmured, feeling defeated as they let her go. “But I promise you all, I will build no more.”

. . .

Two days passed with guards watching Ember’s every move. She couldn’t even use a public restroom without feeling their eyes on her. There was no privacy with which to draw up plans on paper, so she relied on her inner thoughts to think up a plan to break Malroth free of the cell.

Or to slip him a message to inspire him to break free of his own in a way that wasn’t caught again. Her first two attempts hadn’t been successful and the guards wouldn’t let her visit him. No one seemed to be on her side, either.

There were whispers of relief and disinterest. No plea she made to the king, Anessa or Warrick had produced the desired results either. It left her desperate and panicky in a way that made it hard for her to breathe. She couldn’t sleep, and she had no appetite in which to eat, not whilst Malroth was all alone in a dungeon she made with her own hands.

_Where did this all go wrong_? Ember wondered for the hundredth time on the rise of the third sun. She recalled the incident with the nun and how the nun’s ill opinion of Malroth hadn’t helped humanize him to anyone. _I have to try to talk to her, get her to change her story_.

Having another plan of action Ember headed straight for the church with determined steps. The nun was sweeping the snow out of the church that people had tracked in from the morning service.

“I have to speak with you, Sister.” Ember started, hoping to appeal to her. “Malroth was imprisoned the other day because you and other folk fear him unjustly.”

“I have heard of your friends imprisonment,” The nun acknowledged, continuing to sweep the snow. “You call it and unjust imprisonment but do we really know he won’t hurt one of us when he has no reflection in the mirror, and was hurt by the goddesses holy healing powers?”

“Look,” Ember began, trying to keep calm, “I don’t understand everything there is to know about Malroth because what he does know about himself he does have a tendency to keep hidden, but I don’t think it comes from a bad place and I’ve fought monsters before! He’s not one of them.”

“You do understand that some monsters can charm us, yes?” The nun said, looking at her pointedly. “They blind us with a smile that mimics our own though their sharp teeth reveal their true nature, but you don’t see it, do you?”

“And you all don’t see how kind he can be!” Ember shouted back, clenching her hands into fists. “He knew not who I was but he saved my life, and he’s protected me valiantly against monsters so I could do what I loved to do—build!”

“Raising your voice is unlike you,” The nun remarked, tsking. “Though it is like him, isn’t it?”

Ember stepped back, her eyes widening with shock. _It’s true, isn’t it? I have adopted some of his behaviors, but I guess when one spends their life alongside someone else, that’s bound to happen_.

“I get that you think you love him,” The nun continued, “But, I would advise on you parting from him now that you have the chance to do so lest his spell over you grows stronger.”

_Love_? Ember repeated in her head, stunned. _She thinks I love_ — “I do love him,” Ember said, becoming breathless at her realization. “And that’s why I ask you to tell the king you were mistaken with what you saw that day.”

“I will not.” The nun refused, shaking her head. “You might not want to protect yourself but I and the people of Moonbrooke will.”

“I’m beginning to understand why war never ends in this kingdom,” Ember told her, her tone grave. “You all are quick to betray those who help you.” She then turned around and walked away, having no one to turn to except for her own cunning.

As the day continued Ember considered her options. When night fell, she rummaged through her bag and pulled out the magic rod, whilst being underneath the blanket. She gave it a small wave and turned into a tiny blue slime.

Ploink! She boinged off the bed and onto a windowsill where the window was cracked open. With her new slime body she squeezed through the crack, having no bones with which to stop her. When she plopped onto the ground she wasn’t hurt which allowed her to hop towards the courtyard.

The guard on duty was asleep—he knew monsters couldn’t enter the castle so why would he be alert at night? Ember jumped down the stairs, feeling her slime heart race within her globby body.

_I’m coming, Malroth! Just hang on_! Was all she could think as she descended the stairs, then stopped in front of the jail cell. She smiled wide upon seeing Malroth again and felt her heart flutter alive, but her joy was short lived as she realized he was struggling with his inner demon again.

Malroth was sitting on the ground where he clutched his head, trembling as he spoke to himself. “I know she hasn’t visited me, but it doesn’t mean she has abandoned me!”

_Huh_? Ember stopped, noticing the plate beside him was still full of dinner. _Oh no. He gets like this when he is under high amounts of stress, and the worst thing about it is that I’m to blame this time_. She felt a pang of guilt and hopped towards him, but mid-hop she plopped right into a dark bag and gasped.

“Wait, wait, let me goooo!” She yelled, smacking into the bag each time she hopped angrily, but no one responded, making her panic further. “I’m not actually a slime!” She tried, but she still wasn’t released. The only thing she did know was that she was being hauled away and after some time she was dumped onto a table.

Before her was Anessa. “Anessa!?”

“Are you stupid or what!?” Anessa scolded, waving her fist. “If someone else had caught you sneaking in there you really might have been killed!”

Poof! Ember returned to her human form and hopped off the table to confront her. “As if you care whether I live or die!” She yelled back. “You’re the reason he is trapped down there, all alone!”

“I might have aired my grievances but I didn’t actually tell the king he should be imprisoned.” Anessa defended, shaking her head.

“You didn’t have to, obviously, because you were so vocal about your feud with him that everyone else is scared of him to when they shouldn’t be.” Ember remarked, becoming hot with anger now that her one chance to save Malroth had been robbed from her by Anessa.

“We don’t know that and regardless of that the king gave his commands, you should be following them!” Anessa insisted, waving an arm for emphasis.

“I’ll follow no king he wrongly imprisons the innocent,” Ember said, “And neither should you.”

“Our king—”

“Your king.” Ember corrected, distancing herself from the king she had once admired.

“He is doing the best he can so can’t you just put Malroth aside for a minute and focus on the welfare of everyone?” Anessa asked, wanting her to care about others when they didn’t care about the one person she loved and trusted.

“There will be no peace without Malroth.” Ember stated, her eyes hardening with the realization that Anessa was standing between her one chance to save Malroth. _If I can get passed her I can turn back into a slime and save him_. She thought, reaching for her sword.

“You wouldn’t.” Anessa said, eyeing Ember’s drawn sword.

“Step aside and let me go to him or I will kill you.” Ember told her, clutching the sword tightly with trembling fingers. _I don’t want to hurt anyone, but neither did Malroth, and now he’s in a dark, cold cell I made_.

“Just try it.” Anessa challenged, drawing her own sword.

Ember sucked in a sharp breath to steady herself and then charged at Anessa, swinging the sword at her. Their swords clashed as Anessa rose her own sword to defend herself. A sword Ember once made her. She even wore the clothes Ember had made for her.

“I will not betray my best friend!” Ember shouted, stepping back to strike again, though Anessa dodged.

“And I will not betray my King!” Anessa responded, slashing at Ember.

Their swords continued to clash as their convictions burned in their eyes. Ember had fought many monsters on her journey alongside Malroth but her fighting skills paled in comparison to Anessa’s sword skills she had honed from years of battling fierce monsters to survive. It was not a fair and balanced fight by any means—Ember was receiving more slices than she was able to dole out, which only inspired her to fight harder because now it really was a fight for lives.

Be it luck or skill Ember noticed an opening and shoved her sword into Anessa’s armorless chest. Anessa gasped, her eyes popping open in pain and shock. She coughed up blood and sputtered, stumbling backwards. Ember panted and stood up, clutching her side.

“I’m going to him,” She said, ripping the sword out of Anessa. “Because friends don’t betray each other.” Ember told Anessa who was bleeding to death on the ground. She then left the room, limping but full of adrenaline as she headed straight for the courtyard.

The guard was still asleep on the job. She took the keys and trudged downstairs, padding at the wall with her hand to keep herself steadied against the dizziness that plagued her.

“Ember, you’re here!” Malroth exclaimed, scrambling to the cell door to give her a piece of his mind.

“I promised…” Ember began, pale skinned and breathless. “I’d come for you.”

He watched her as she approached the cell, gripping a key in one hand and a bloodied sword in the other. “What did you do?”

“I killed her,” Ember answered as she tossed the key, then sheathed her sword. “Now stand back.” She commanded, heaving her hammer over her head.

Malroth jumped out of the way and clasped his hands over his ears as the metal of the hammer collided with the steel bars of the cell. Shards of metal pierced through the air, yet his gaze remained focused on the warrior woman who he had considered his best friend from the moment he had pulled her out of the ocean.

His eyes filled with delight as she smashed the accursed cell to smithereens before him. He noted her hardened expression and the sweat that glistened on her pale skin. Her body was trembling from the exertion, yet she smashed every inch of steel that had caged him in.

In that one moment Malroth saw her in a new light.

One that left him breathless.

The moment the last bar was crushed under the weight of her hammer, Ember collapsed. Malroth was quick to catch her, and steadied her against him, helping to hold her upright as she panted from exhaustion.

“Hey, hey,” Malroth called to her, feeling her body rest on him too heavily. “Stay with me and tell me whose skull I get to bash.”

It took Ember a moment but she draped an arm around his neck, then looked up at him. “The King’s head.”

“I think I love you,” Malroth said, becoming giddy over the thought of slaying the king whom betrayed him. “Let’s fucking do this. Together.”

“I love you too,” Ember smiled, lighting up upon hearing him say those words, even though she had a feeling he didn’t quite understand the entire gravity of what ‘love’ meant. “We’ll tear Moonbrooke down before the morning comes.”

Malroth threw his head back as he laughed, setting a hand on his hip. “I never thought you would want to destroy shit. This you I like!”

_Back down to like. But, that’s okay. I can work with that_. Ember thought, smiling as she stepped away from him, feeling rejuvenated enough to stand on her own again. _All that matters is that Malroth is at my side again_.

Together, side by side they ascended the stairs in a hurry. They went right passed the guard and while Malroth began to turn right, he stopped, noticing Ember was heading left, with determined steps.

“Mmm?” Malroth wondered, having thought they were going to slay the king. “Where you heading?” He asked, following after her.

“You’ll see.” Ember responded, then made another sharp turn before stopping in front of the church. She set a hand on her hip and turned her head to look back at him. “I know you might not remember much of the incident, but the nun who tried to help you has since believed you are a monster.”

“Shocker.” Malroth muttered, shaking his head.

“I went to her in tears after you were imprisoned. I begged her to appeal to the king on your behalf, but she refused, thinking you were where you belonged.” Ember told him. “Do you want to take the first swing?”

“With pleasure.” Malroth remarked, hoisting his club into the air, eyeing the beautiful stained glass window. He paused for a moment and looked at her. “When we return home can you make a church of our own, whose stained glass windows feature our commitment to destruction?”

“For you, yes.” Ember answered, smiling.

“Heh-heh!” Malroth smashed the window, then hopped over the seal to smash the other colorful windows.

_The goddess the Moonbrookian’s serve is not our goddess for our goddess would not support the imprisonment of the innocents_. Ember thought, then brought her hammer down on the walls of the church she had built for the Moonbrookian’s. _How naïve I was, thinking I could save a war-torn nation_. _They don’t want peace, that is obvious_.

As the church was torn down, the noise attracted a couple of the guards who were making patrols around the area.

“Who goes there?” A guard questioned, shocked to see the church was in a state of disarray.

“Back off if you know what is good for you.” Malroth told them, standing ontop of a couple of cracked blocks.

“You!” They gasped in unison. “You escaped!?”

“No, I freed him,” Ember corrected, then smashed the altar into splinters and smithereens. “And now anything I have built, I am destroying because none of you deserve it.”

“And what gives you the right to decide that!?” The other guard screeched, alarmed. “It’s not like you’re the goddess!”

“I might as well be with my powers of building,” Ember said, slinging her hammer over her shoulder. “I brought building into your lives, made your lives significantly better, then you all went quiet when my best friend was wrongly thrown in a prison you all had me make, against my will.” Ember stated, stepping away from the goddess statue that remained the only part of the church that was in tact.

It would serve as a reminder of what happened here forever more.

“Feh, you’re gonna be the goddess of destruction within my empire of evisceration,” Malroth said, following her. “What’s next? These two bozo’s?”

“We won’t let you take our home from us!” The one guard said, then rushed at them.

Ember reached for her sword, but Malroth stepped in front of her and stretched his arm out, saying, “Let me take care of them.” She turned away and closed her eyes, knowing what he meant. When she heard the crush of skulls and the thud of bodies she flinched back, pressing her hands against her ears.

“Whose next?” She heard Malroth ask.

“The armory, and the war room.” Ember told him, letting him take the lead in their mission to destroy Moonbrooke.

They destroyed building after building, taking out the guards who opposed them without a second thought. Malroth took on the difficult guards whilst letting Ember focus more on destroying the buildings. Their intent was not to kill—but some soldiers didn’t want to stand down, leaving them no other choice.

When they finally broke through to the kings chamber, he stood before the throne, with his sword drawn. “This is where I make my stance, no matter how final it may be.”

“You understand you’re not the hero, right?” Ember said, gripping her sword tightly. “You chose the side of darkness when you wrongfully imprisoned Malroth, and turned against me, who gave you everything you had here.”

“Some descendent of Erdrik you are,” Malroth mocked, hoisting his hammer over his shoulder. “I hope other descendant’s exist because I heard he was a good man, but you are not him, and are a disgrace to his name.”

“Am I though?” The king challenged. “You’re destroying my kingdom.”

“My kingdom,” Ember corrected, “I built this entire castle, now I’m destroying it because you were intent to destroy my friendship based on baseless accusations of others.”

“I’ve had enough talking about it.” Malroth growled, then charged forth, swinging his club. The king dodged, but the throne was smashed.

That swing begun the fight. Ember stayed back for a minute, watching Malroth swing the club around at the king, waiting for an opening. When she saw one she rushed forwards, shoving the sword into the king’s body.

The fight was over as the king collapsed onto the ground, gasping and choking. Ember grabbed Malroth’s hand and led him out of the castle, and for the first time, Malroth didn’t complain about her touching him.


End file.
